Editorial: Age and Non-Invasive Markers of Fibrosis in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Time to Adjust the Clock?

Abstract

Despite the widespread prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diagnostic uncertainty of noninvasive tests to detect those with more advanced disease remains an important unmet need. Numerous predictive models have been developed, many of which incorporate age as a covariate. Index derivation studies typically have not included young adults or the elderly and the predictive utility of these models may not be equivalent across the age spectrum. New cutoffs for advanced fibrosis in those >65 have been proposed and validated in a recent study but will require external validation.