Challenges to Manage Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, an Invisible Epidemic in Iran\'s Health Care System: A Policy Brief

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects over 1/3 of the Iranian adult population. NAFLD is predicted to soon become an epidemic with widespread social and economic consequences due to the increasing prevalence of its risk factors. So far, NAFLD has received less attention from the public health system. It is necessary to adopt and develop effective national policies and guidelines based on evidence related to the prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment of NAFLD. The researchers of the Gut and Liver Research Center, affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, with the aim of helping to solve this challenge, have presented the current policy brief using the research evidence available in databases and the review of the national higher-order documents. First of all, it is suggested that the government should legally and financially support NAFLD as a serious social health issue. Subsequently, the Ministry of Health should provide relevant standards and executive guidelines according to the existing conditions in Iran's healthcare system, under the legal and financial support of the government. In this policy summary, some of the implenetable and high-priority measures included designing national service standards by specialized liver working groups; providing funds for the development of human, physical, and study resources; developing people-oriented health/educational systems, and providing care and treatment services through multi-specialty clinics