Hirode G, et al. - Among hospitalized patients in the US, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of the 2007 to 2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample to understand the burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Using ICD-9 codes after excluding other etiologies of chronic liver disease, a total of 481,122 hospitalizations in NAFLD patients were identified. Between 2007 and 2014, hospitalizations in NAFLD patients increased by 83.4%, and the proportion of total hospitalizations in NAFLD patients increased by 104.4%. There was a 159% increase in total inpatient hospitalization charges in NAFLD patients during this time. The inpatient clinical and economic burden of NAFLD is also rapidly rising with the increasing prevalence of NAFLD in the US. Total estimated national hospitalization charges in NAFLD patients reached nearly $20 billion in 2014, with metabolic comorbidities and liver-related complications contributing significantly to this rising burden.