The number of Australians with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) at risk of advanced fibrosis has outstripped the capacity of specialist liver clinics to manage them, a conference has been told.

Findings presented at the Gastroenterological Society of Australia’s virtual conference, Australian Gastroenterology Week, demonstrate the importance of GPs in caring for lower-risk patients, researchers say.

The review of data from the ongoing AusDiab study, which includes more than 10,000 Australians, found 37% of patients were likely to have NAFLD based on the Fatty Liver Index (FLI) algorithm, which combines factors such as BMI, waist circumference and triglycerides.

Of these patients, more than half had results suggestive of advanced fibrosis, said the researchers from St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.