|
The First Meeting of Asia Pacific Working Party
on
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a disease which can
progress to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The prevalence of
NAFLD is on the increasing trend in the Asia Pacific region. This
is due to excessive diet and inadequate physical activity, resulting
in obesity, which is the major cause of NAFLD. In order to address
NAFLD in the Asia Pacific region, a working party consisting experts
throughout the region has been formed u nder the aegis of the Cheng
Si Yuan ( China - Int'l) Hepatitis Research Foundation and
Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation . The
objective of this working party is to formulate a consensus on the
epidemiology, risk factors, management and formulate future research
of NAFLD in the region.
With such a unique context in the Asia Pacific, clinicians and
experts gather together and come with the unprecedented collaboration
on NAFLD in the region - the Asia Pacific Working Party on Non-Alcoholic
Fatty Liver Disease .
At the first meeting of the working party, Practice Guidelines
for NAFLD/NASH, and aspects such as terminology, diagnostic criteria,
regional differences in prevalence and regional variation (if any)
in risk factors, and priorities for research, were discussed.
The working party was convened by Prof Geoffrey C. Farrell
from Australia and co-convened by Prof George K.K. Lau from
Hong Kong and Prof Jose D. Sollano from Philippines . A
meeting of one-and-a-half day was held on 5 and 6 November 2006
. Experts from India , Taiwan , Singapore , Sri Lanka , China ,
Malaysia , Japan and Thailand congregate and share their views and
findings on the disease.
The meeting marked the first collaboration effort of the experts
in Asia Pacific on the issue. Further it draws the attention of
the clinicians and health care professionals in the area about the
disease. It gives the disease a new definition - it is not only
a "western disease", but people in Asia Pacific are also under its
threat.
| 
