Cholic Acid for Hepatic Steatosis in Lipodystrophy

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with lipodystrophies as diagnosed by clinical criteria. * Hepatic steatosis (\>5.6% hepatic triglyceride content) as demonstrated by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. * Age 6-70 years. * Alcohol intake of less than 40 g per week. Exclusion Criteria: * Laboratory or other histologic findings highly suggestive of liver disease due to causes other than non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, such as chronic viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, biliary obstruction or genetic liver diseases such as Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis or alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. * Treatment with drugs associated with steatohepatitis, e.g., corticosteroids, high dose estrogens, methotrexate, amiodarone, , sulfasalazine, or oxacillin in the 6 months prior to the study. * Decompensated liver disease as evidenced by clinical features of hepatic failure (variceal bleeding, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy etc.) and laboratory investigations (prolonged prothrombin time, hypoalbuminemia, presence of esophageal varices etc.) * Evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma: alpha-fetoprotein levels greater than 200 ng/ml and/or liver mass on imaging study suggestive of liver cancer. * Use of drugs which can potentially decrease hepatic steatosis during previous 3 months; ursodeoxycholic acid, high-dose vitamin E, betaine, acetylcysteine and choline. Thiazolidinediones are allowed if dose has been stable for 3 months prior to screening. * Significant systemi…