A study by Rahman concludes that approximately 20 % of cases progress from simple fatty steatosis to NASH, 20% of these progress to cirrhosis, and some develop into hepatocellular carcinoma 23. Hepatocellular carcinoma has even been described in patients with NASH but without cirrhosis which establishes that fatty liver is a risk factor for this tumor 23, 24. Although the pathogenesis of fatty liver has not been fully elucidated, the best supported theory involves a sequence of two main events. 1. Insulin resistance and a progressive accumulation of fatty acids in hepatocytes.
El estudio de Rahman concluye que, aproximadamente, 20% de los casos de esteatosis grasa simple progresan a NASH, y que de ellos, aproximadamente, el 20% progresan a cirrosis, algunos con presencia de hepatocarcinoma 23, este último ha sido descrito, incluso, en pacientes con NASH sin cirrosis, por lo cual se ha establecido que el hígado graso es un factor de riesgo para dicho tumor 23,24.