Liver diseases in the elderly: an update.

Although there are no liver diseases specific to advanced age, the clinical course and management of liver diseases in the elderly may differ in several aspects from those of younger adults. During the last decade an explosion of new knowledge in liver disease has provoked increasing enthusiasm among hepatologists. On the other hand, the development of new emerging conditions (e.g. non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) and novel therapeutic approaches has made it increasingly difficult to validate and assimilate information to be applied in clinical practice. Some liver diseases in the elderly need to be revisited, particularly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, some therapeutic approaches, especially antiviral therapy and liver transplantation, should be discussed also in selected groups of elderly patients. Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.