In India, one in five people have excess fat in their liver and one in every 10 people have fatty liver disease. That is why it becomes very important that we understand the important things related to this disease and be careful about our health.
What is Fatty Liver Disease?
Liver is the second largest organ of our body (the first is the skin). Liver weighs about one and a half kilos and it is a very important part of the body. Its job is to process everything that we eat or drink, as well as filter many harmful substances from our blood.
The liver does the work of processing nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals from the food we eat. If the liver does not work properly, then the metabolic balance of the body also gets disturbed.
Usually the liver repairs itself by making new liver cells in place of the damaged cells. But due to repeated damage, it is not able to repair itself and in this case scar tissue replaces the normal liver tissue. This condition is called Cirrhosis.
However, it is necessary to get it treated as soon as it is detected, otherwise if there is too much progress, this disease can cause permanent damage to the liver.
Symptoms of fatty liver-
The symptoms of fatty liver are not very clear. Often those who have this disease do not even know about it. It can take years for the associated symptoms to appear.
However, having excess fat in the liver can cause inflammation and then you may see the following symptoms-
* feeling tired
*weight loss
*loss of appetite
*weakness
*Getting nausea
* to be confused
* Difficulty concentrating
*Enlargement of liver
*Pain in the upper or middle part of the abdomen
*Dick patches of skin on your neck or under your arms
Note: If you notice an increase in these symptoms after drinking alcohol then you may have alcoholic liver disease.
Apart from this, if fatty liver disease is progressing into cirrhosis or liver failure, then you may see these symptoms-
* already enlarged, fluid-filled stomach
* Yellowing of the skin and eyes
*confusion
* Tendency to bleed more easily
Due to fatty liver-
*The most common reason for having fatty liver is drinking alcohol. However, people who do not drink alcohol can also have fatty liver.
*Fatty liver develops when the body makes too much fat or is unable to metabolize the fat formed rapidly. When this happens, the excess fat gets accumulated in the liver cells and in this way the person gets fatty liver disease.
Note: High fat, high sugar diet can be helpful in fatty liver but it cannot directly cause the disease.
Besides alcoholism, other causes of fatty liver can be-
*obesity
*Hyperlipidemia, or high levels of fat in the blood
*Diabetes
*genetic
* rapid weight loss
*Side effects of medicines like aspirin, steroids, tamoxifen, etc.
Types of fatty liver-
There are two main types of fatty liver disease-
1.Nonalcoholic
2. Alcoholic
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs when the liver has trouble breaking down fats, due to which fats accumulate in the liver tissues. When more than 10% of the total weight of the liver becomes fat then it is diagnosed as NAFLD.
And of course the cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is not alcohol or alcohol but something else, about which there is not much clarity.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease- Alcoholic fatty liver is an early stage of liver disease associated with alcoholism. Drinking too much alcohol damages the liver and is unable to break down fats. It is very important to give up alcohol when this happens. Usually, after giving up alcohol, the excess fat ends within one and a half to two months.
But if alcohol is not given even after this, then the person can get cirrhosis and his life can be lost.
Apart from these two major types, fatty liver disease can also be of the following types-
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (ASH)
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
Swelling occurs in the liver in NASH and ASH. Its symptoms are fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss. Usually people between 40 and 50 years of age have this disease.
In very rare cases, a woman may develop fatty liver during pregnancy. When this happens, there may be complaints of persistent vomiting, jaundice and abdominal pain. Most of the women get rid of this disease after delivery.
Who is at higher risk of getting fatty liver?
* Such people who are overweight or who fall in the obese category.
*People who have type 2 diabetes.
*People who drink heavily
*For those taking more than the recommended dose of certain drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), antidepressants, etc.
*Pregnant women
*People who have high cholesterol.
*People affected by Malnutrition
* People who take a high choline diet are less prone to fatty liver. Choline is found more in these things - meat, poultry, fish, dairy foods, pasta, rice, eggs, spinach, beets, wheat and shellfish.
How is Fatty Liver Diagnosed?
* On Physically Examining
*If your liver is swollen, the doctor can detect an enlarged liver by looking at your abdomen. Apart from this, by looking at the other symptoms, he can come to the conclusion whether you have fatty liver or not.
*If you are not feeling hungry or feel tired, then definitely tell the doctor. Also, if you take alcohol, or are taking any medicines or supplements, then inform the doctor about it.
*Blood tests
If your liver enzymes are higher than normal in routine blood tests, then you may have fatty liver. However, there may be other reasons for increased liver enzymes, so further tests may be needed to confirm fatty liver.
*Ultrasound / CT Scan / MRI
The doctor may also ask you for an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI. If you have excess fat in your liver, then it will appear as a white area in the image.
From these imaging studies, the doctor will know whether your liver is fatty or not, but it will not know how much damage has been done to the liver.
*Liver Biopsy
Liver biopsy is the surest way to diagnose fatty liver. In this, the doctor removes the liver tissue for examination through a needle. From this test it is also known that what is the reason for having fatty liver.
Fatty liver treatment
There is no specific medicine or surgery to cure fatty liver. Rather, the doctor will suggest you to reduce the risk factors of this disease. As if-
*Reducing or stopping alcohol consumption
*Controlling your cholesterol
*Reducing intake of sugar and saturated fatty acids
*weight loss
*Controlling blood sugar
* physical labor
*avoiding certain foods
* Eating fresh fruits and vegetables
*Eating chicken or fish instead of red meat
How deadly can fatty liver be?
* Since the symptoms of fatty liver are not very clear, this disease is not detected early. But after finding out, you can control this disease by taking the right steps.
Most cases of fatty liver do not turn into liver disease as the liver is able to repair itself to a great extent. But for this, you have to support the liver and that support will be available only when you keep your cholesterol, diabetes, obesity etc. under control.
* If you are addicted to alcohol, then you have to stop drinking alcohol or at least reduce your alcohol intake very much.
But if fatty liver is not reversed even after doing everything, then it can turn into liver disease and cirrhosis.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver is comparatively less dangerous and does not turn into liver scarring or cirrhosis in most cases.
But in the case of alcoholic fatty liver, if there is a delay in detection or if the person continues to consume alcohol even after detection, then the chances of liver damage and cirrhosis increase greatly.
Progression of fatty liver into cirrhosis is fatal. If this happens, death can happen in one and a half to two years.
Prevention of fatty liver
If you want to avoid fatty liver, then you have to take care of the liver. For which you can do these things-
*Do not consume alcohol or do it moderately. Moderately means no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.
Get proper treatment even if you have cholesterol
*Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes
* It is very good if you do not have diabetes, but if you do, then do not be careless in it.
*Keep your Body Mass Index (BMI) right
Friends, I hope this information related to fatty liver will be useful to you. If you want to share any information related to this disease, then you can do it through comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.