Via practica 4/2022

Current scientific knowledge about NAFLD/MAFLD during the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefits of essential phospholipids in the treatment of hepatic steatosis

The liver performs many important metabolic and immunological tasks. In addition to essential metabolic functions, the liver is also an important immunocompetent organ. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide, with an increasing prevalence in economically developed countries. If increased fat accumulation in the liver is accompanied by oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, common hepatic steatosis without inflammatory damage to hepatocytes (NAFLD) can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis to cirrhosis of the liver with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. In 2020, a consensus decision by experts proposed a new definition and a new name for fatty liver disease that better captures the complex nature and close association of this liver disease with overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2T) and disorders of lipid metabolism, namely ‘Metabolic dysfunction associated fatty liver disease ‘ (MAFLD). Patients with NAFLD/MAFLD have an increased susceptibility to COVID-19 and also an increased risk of a severe course of this infection. Essential phospholipids (EPL) form an integral part of cellular and subcellular membranes of hepatocytes and condition their fluidity and biological activity. EPLs have been used safely for many years as a hepatoprotective agent in patients with various liver diseases. The results of previous clinical studies and meta-analyses have shown that EPL can improve clinically relevant parameters of liver damage during the treatment of NAFLD/MAFLD, which is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD, MAFLD, essential phospholipids, COVID-19, EPL