New insights in the pathophysiology of chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced NASH: the role of gut-liver axis impairment

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly prevalent condition paralleling the growing epidemic of obesity and type-2 diabetes. This disease shows a continuous spectrum of severity ranging from simple steatosis to overt non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) that can further progress towards cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma.1 Although the complete physiopathology is not fully understood, many factors such as insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress and lipotoxicity are involved in the onset of NAFLD.2 3 Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is independently associated with the different components of the metabolic syndrome, particularly visceral obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and abnormal lipid metabolism.4 The repetitive occurrence of partial or complete pharyngeal collapse during OSA induces chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) that subsequently results in low-grade inflammation, sympathetic overactivity and oxidative stress. Since OSA and NAFLD share common intermediary mechanisms, the presence of OSA, especially in the context of...
Source: Thorax - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research