A Detailed Analysis of The GlobalNon-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Diagnostic Market

Posted by Andrew Thomas on February 14th, 2019

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis also known as NASH, is histologically indistinguishable from alcoholic steatohepatitis. It develops in people suffering from obesity, type 2 diabetes, glucose intolerance metabolic syndrome or dyslipidemia. It is diagnosed most often in people between 40 years and 60 years. It is the most severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and is characterized by the presence of an excessive accumulation of fat in the liver which may lead to inflammation and liver cell injury. As NASH evolves, over time it can result in excessive scarring in the liver, which can lead to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

According to research conducted by the Research on Global Markets on the global non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (nash) diagnostic market, rising investments for the development of accurate, reliable, and readily available diagnostic tests for NASH is expected to drive the market during the 2019-2023 period.

Nash is a deadly yet silent disease, and most patients are asymptomatic. Most patients are unaware of their condition until it becomes very serious. However, some may experience, malaise, fatigue, upper abdominal discomfort. Hepatomegaly develops in 75% of NASH patients. The first indication that portal hypertension has developed is the presence of advanced hepatic fibrosis and this may lead to the development of splenomegaly. Patients suffering from liver cirrhosis caused by NASH may lack the usual signs of chronic liver disease.

Diagnoses include a complete medical history check of the patient, serologic tests that rule out hepatitis B and C and liver biopsy. The diagnosis must be suspected in patients suffering from obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus or abnormalities such as elevations in the aminotransferase levels. For diagnosis strong evidence that alcohol intake is not excessive is needed.

Prognosis is hard to predict but most patients do not suffer from cirrhosis or hepatic insufficiency. Some drugs such as cytotoxic drugs are associated with acceleration of NASH.
 
The only widely accepted treatment goal is to eliminate potential causes and risk factors. Such a goal may include weight loss, discontinuation of drugs or toxins, and treatment for dyslipidemia or treatment for hyperglycemia. Preliminary evidence suggests that thiazolidinediones and vitamin E can help correct biochemical and histologic abnormalities in NASH. Many other treatments (for example, ursodeoxycholic acid, metronidazole, metformin, betaine, glucagon, glutamine infusion) have not been proved definitively effective. A liver transplant might then be required, but this is a risky surgical procedure associated with several types of complications, not to mention long waiting lists due to the lack of available healthy organs from donors, or eligibility issues related to the patient condition.

The same report suggests that North America dominated the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis diagnostics market size due to the growing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes is leading to an increasing number of patients suffering from NASH in the United States (U.S.) and Canada.