Alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which
represent two of the most common forms of liver disease, can lead to cirrhosis,
liver failure, and death. Although these two conditions have different
risk factors and natural histories, in both conditions (Table 155-1) the hepatocytes
are characterized by macrovesicular steatosis, which is the accumulation
of triglycerides as one large cytoplasmic globule that displaces the
nucleus. In microvesicular steatosis, cytoplasmic accumulation of fat occurs
as multiple small globules with a central nucleus.