Fatty Liver: What is it and What Are the Remedies?
Hepatic Steatosis, a condition more commonly known as Fatty Liver Disease, occurs from the accumulation of excess fat in the liver. While it’s one of the world’s most commonly occurring diseases, there aren’t enough symptoms to help detect this deadly disease at an early stage to ensure its complete cure. However, fatty liver symptoms such as feeling tired and abdominal pain in the upper right side may prompt one to get a check-up. Critical complications may even include esophageal varices, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
Fatty Liver Disease can be broadly classified into two categories, NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) and ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease). Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease consists of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and simple fatty liver. Obesity, glucocorticoids, Type 2 diabetes, and Hepatitis C are two of the most commonly occurring risks associated with Fatty Liver. It is unclear why some people with NAFLD develop simple fatty liver and others develop NASH. Diagnosis for fatty liver employs a bunch of simple pathological tests such as blood test, liver biopsy, and / or medical imaging. People suffering from fatty Liver Disease are suggested against the consumption of alcohol as it catalyses the affect.
While many think that liver ailments affect only those with chronic alcoholism, and while it’s not to be rendered completely wrong, liver ailments aren’t just restricted to alcoholism. Here, we will not only explain a very commonly occurring liver ailment - Fatty Liver, but will also delve into its causes (apart from alcoholism), how to detect such an asymptomatic disease, and also talk about the diagnosis once detected.
Hepatic Steatosis, a condition more commonly known as Fatty Liver Disease, occurs from the accumulation of excess fat in the liver. While it’s one of the world’s most commonly occurring diseases, there aren’t enough symptoms to help detect this deadly disease at an early stage to ensure its complete cure. However, fatty liver symptoms such as feeling tired and abdominal pain in the upper right side may prompt one to get a check-up. Critical complications may even include esophageal varices, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
Fatty Liver Disease can be broadly classified into two categories, NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) and ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease). Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease consists of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and simple fatty liver. Obesity, glucocorticoids, Type 2 diabetes, and Hepatitis C are two of the most commonly occurring risks associated with Fatty Liver. It is unclear why some people with NAFLD develop simple fatty liver and others develop NASH. Diagnosis for fatty liver employs a bunch of simple pathological tests such as blood test, liver biopsy, and / or medical imaging. People suffering from fatty Liver Disease are suggested against the consumption of alcohol as it catalyses the affect.
What are the complications involved?
1) Fatty Liver, although a very common ailment, can lead to serious medical conditions such as liver cancer or fibrosis. While the survival rate for people suffering from NAFLD was 80%, the rate of progression for those affected by NASH was approximately 1 every 7 years, and for NAFLD, 1 every 14 years.
2) Almost 10% of the population across the world with cirrhotic alcoholic FLD have a tendency to get affected by hepatocellular carcinoma, which is one of the most commonly occurring types of liver cancer among adults. However, almost 45% of the people suffering from NASH without cirrhosis poses a risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma.
What are the causes of fatty liver disease?
1) Chronic alcoholism : Regularly consuming heavy liquor makes the liver prone to toxic metabolites such as aldehydes in the liver.
2) Metabolic Causes: - Metabolic Abetalipoproteinemia
- Glycogen storage diseases
- Weber–Christian disease
- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
- Lipodystrophy
- Glycogen storage diseases
- Weber–Christian disease
- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
- Lipodystrophy
3) Nutritional Causes: - Nutritional obesity
- Malnutrition
- Total parenteral nutrition
- Severe weight loss
- Refeeding syndrome
- Jejunoileal bypass
- Gastric bypass
- Jejunal diverticulosis
- Bacterial overgrowth
4) Drugs and toxins: - Amiodarone
- Methotrexate
- Diltiazem
- Expired tetracycline
- Highly active antiretroviral therapy
- Glucocorticoids
- Tamoxifen
- Environmental hepatotoxins (e.g., phosphorus, mushroom poisoning
- Methotrexate
- Diltiazem
- Expired tetracycline
- Highly active antiretroviral therapy
- Glucocorticoids
- Tamoxifen
- Environmental hepatotoxins (e.g., phosphorus, mushroom poisoning
Diagnosis: In most cases, FLD is asymptomatic, and is usually detected accidentally while checking for liver function tests and / or in unrelated medical conditions. Almost 50% of patients having simple steatosis are found to have elevated liver biochemistry. Alcoholic FLD has a lesser aspartate transaminase level as compared to the serum alanine transaminase level in non-alcoholic variants.
A conventional fatty liver treatment regime will typically comprise of dietary altercations and exercise to enable weight loss. In cases involving a greater degree of risk, a liver transplant may also be suggested as part of one’s fatty liver treatment. It has been repeatedly observed that almost 90% of alcohol drinkers have a tendency to develop fatty liver, while 25% of people may develop severe alcoholic hepatitis.
Consult a gastroenterologist/hepatologist to know more about fatty liver disease, its causes, symptoms and treatment options.
Comments
Post a Comment