Speaker: Emily Folz, MD
Title: Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Metabolic Syndrome and the Gut Microbiome - A Primer for Radiologists
The Department of Medical Imaging is pleased to have Emily Folz, MD, presenting at our Grand Rounds on Tuesday, July 24th, in the College of Medicine, Room 2117, at 12:00 pm.
Dr. Emily Folz is an abdominal imaging fellowship-trained diagnostic radiologist currently practicing in Kentucky and Indiana. Her interest in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has paralleled the dramatic rise in the number of adults and children she sees presenting with severe hepatic steatosis, and in the number of individuals presenting with cirrhosis as their first indication of liver disease. As such, she is a strong proponent of working within the community to promote good health and nutrition, participating in community programs providing nutrition education, healthy cooking, access to fresh produce and development of school and community gardens. She has been an invited speaker at community groups to discuss how fatty liver disease is affected by diet and the gut microbiome. She has a strong interest in collaborating with investigators in the use of quantitative non-invasive imaging modalities to detect early liver disease, and to assess response of fatty liver disease to dietary, lifestyle and/or pharmacologic interventions.
Abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease, affecting 25% of adults and 3-10% of children worldwide. NAFLD is a significant cause of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and its presence is also a significant risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
NAFLD reflects an underlying metabolic perturbation. Animal studies in which the gut microbiota are manipulated, and observational studies in individuals with NAFLD have provided considerable evidence that dysbiosis, the negative alteration in the gut microbiota, results in a metabolic perturbation and contributes to the pathogenesis of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome.
Radiologists play an important role in the diagnosis of NAFLD because recognition of fatty liver on imaging studies may be the first indication that a patient has underlying metabolic dysfunction and dysbiosis. MR spectroscopy and MRI with proton density fat fraction imaging play important roles in quantification of NAFLD and may provide accurate, non-invasive endpoints for research studies.
College of Medicine, Room 2117