Dr. Sonja Olsen, a board-certified internist, gastroenterologist, and transplant hepatologist, provides screenings for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease which is frequently undiagnosed and can cause serious health conditions.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL – October 12, 2023 ─ October is National Liver Awareness Month and Tampa General Hospital Digestive Health Center, formerly TGH Gastro Group of the Palm Beaches, is following the new guidelines of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) for the early screening and diagnosis of an often undetected condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Dr. Sonja K. Olsen, a board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist, is trained in the AACE’s updated screening for NAFLD and offers it at TGH Digestive Health Center.
According to the AACE, a vast majority of Americans with NAFLD, nearly 96 percent, are unaware they have the chronic disease in which fat accumulates in the liver. NAFLD can affect liver function and result in a range of progressive conditions. When left untreated, NAFLD can result in liver scarring or fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer or death.
The AACE advises that individuals who have risk factors such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, or metabolic syndrome should be screened for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by their primary doctor or endocrinologist. NAFLD screening consists of a FibroScan, a noninvasive diagnostic device used to measure the fat content of the liver, and liver stiffness, which is a marker for scarring. Individuals with abnormal results will be referred to a specialist for further evaluation and management.
“This new, advanced preventative measure available through TGH Digestive Health Center gives patients a greater opportunity to detect and treat NAFLD as soon as possible,” said Olsen. “Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive information to our patients and to give them the greatest level of comfort and reassurance.”
The new, early screening guidelines hope to mitigate the progression of NAFLD, and to raise awareness of the disease with primary care physicians, endocrinologists, and other health professionals, allowing for earlier identification, disease management and referrals to specialists. If detected and managed at an early stage, it’s possible to prevent NAFLD from progressing and could reduce the amount of damage and fat in the liver.
Olsen serves as Palm Beach County’s only transplant hepatologist and brings more than a decade of experience in providing world-class digestive and liver care, and specializes in liver disease and disorders, including those related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. She is the only physician in the Palm Beach County region with specialized expertise in the management of patients with end-stage liver disease, both before and after liver transplantation. She treats patients with colon, liver, and bile duct cancer; gallbladder disease; alcohol-related and nonalcohol-related liver disease; drug-related liver injury; and all forms of hepatitis.
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is creating a framework of state-of-the-art services for patients in the Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast and is one of the highest-ranked hospitals in Florida in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospitals as well as one of the largest hospitals in the nation. The academic health system is also the primary teaching affiliate of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and has been affiliated with the university’s college of medicine since it was created in the early 1970s.
Today, more than 700 medical school residents and fellows receive specialty training at Tampa General, one of the largest academic health systems in the state, in areas ranging from general internal medicine to neurosurgery. In addition, USF medical, nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy students all receive part of their training at Tampa General. Faculty of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine admit and care for patients at Tampa General, as do private practice physicians, many of whom also serve as adjunct clinical faculty at USF.
A doctor’s order is needed for the screening and patients with high-risk factors are encouraged to contact their primary care provider or endocrinologist to determine if a screening for NAFLD is appropriate. TGH Digestive Health Center has offices at 2001 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, and 3401 PGA Blvd., Suite 500, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. Both offices can be reached by calling (561) 659-6543.
ABOUT DR. OLSEN
Olsen is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. She was the chief resident at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, and previously served as an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at NYU. Olsen has also served as an associate with Gotham Medical Associates, co-director of the Medicine Sub-Internship clerkship at Weill Cornell, and as the program director for Advanced Fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at NYU.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News and World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America’s Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America’s Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
