PGI doc: NASH patients should be cautious

Chandigarh, June 14

To mark International NASH Day, Dr Ajay Duseja, Professor in the Department of Hepatology, PGIMER, talked about the precautions that nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients must take during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Recent data has suggested the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/NASH can also increase the severity of Covid-19 with higher hospitalisation rate. He said: “Hence, patients with these co-morbidities and NAFLD/NASH should take extra precautions to protect themselves from the disease,” explained Dr Duseja.

“The higher prevalence of fatty liver in urban India, including Chandigarh, is related to the higher prevalence of metabolic risk factors such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia in the population,” said Dr Duseja. “Before the world was hit by the pandemic, we used to see 100 -125 new patients with NAFLD every month in the liver clinic run by the department,” informed Dr Virendra Singh, Prof and Head of the Department of Hepatology, PGIMER, Chandigarh. — TNS