What is Fatty Liver Disease?

The liver is the largest organ in the body and its efficient functioning is essential to the maintenance of good health. Conditions that affect the liver, such as fatty liver disease can, if not diagnosed and treated in time, lead to liver failure and necessitate a liver transplant to save the patient’s life. Having a small amount of fat in the liver is normal, but if the amount becomes excessive, it can lead to serious medical conditions. There are two types of fatty liver disease.

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

As the name says, this condition is caused by the excessive consumption of alcohol. When alcohol is consumed, the liver breaks it down so that it can safely pass out of the body. When the intake of alcohol is too high, the liver is stressed by having to work harder than normal resulting in fat accumulating in the liver. Additionally, the process of breaking down the alcohol may produce various harmful substances that cause inflammation, damage the liver cells and reduce the body’s natural ability to fight off infections and disease. The greater the consumption of alcohol, the greater the danger of falling prey to this disease. Alcoholic fatty liver disease leads to conditions such as alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

This condition is not linked to the excessive consumption of alcohol. This type of fatty liver condition may take two forms:

• In the case of simple fatty liver, fat collects in the liver at levels above normal but not to the extent that it results in inflammation or damage to the liver cells. This condition normally creates no medical problems and requires no treatment.
• If the fat build-up places stress on the liver, then the condition is known as Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). In this condition, the fat accumulation is excessive and places stress on the liver as well as causing inflammation and cell damage. NASH may lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis.

Risk Factors

The cause of alcoholic fatty liver disease is, of course, the intake of large amounts of alcohol, either regularly or in the form of binge drinking where a person does not drink every day but drink excessively when he or she does. The causes of NAFLD are still being investigated, but some well-known risk factors increase a person’s chances of getting this disease. The risk factors include:

• Type 2 diabetes or being prediabetic
• Being obese
• High levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood
• High blood pressure
• Age – the risk appears to increase after middle age
• The consumption of certain prescription drugs
• Infections such a hepatitis C
• Expose to toxins
• Undergoing rapid and excessive weight loss

Diagnosis

Fatty liver disease, in both forms, typically produces no symptoms that the patient will notice. In a few cases, there may be extreme fatigue or pain/discomfort in the upper right side of the abdomen. Being tested for fatty liver disease is important because if the condition goes undiagnosed, the overall condition of the liver will be affected to the extent that cirrhosis can develop, which is a life-threatening condition. A study of the patient’s medical history, a physical examination, blood tests and a liver biopsy are the main methods of diagnosing the disease.

Treatment

There are no widely accepted medications that may be used to treat either form of the disease. In the case of alcoholic fatty liver, the total stopping of alcohol is essential. If the addiction is severe, some medications can help to reduce the craving. For both forms of the disease, weight loss is often advised to bring down the level of fat in the body and the liver itself. If taking prescription medications is a contributing factor, the doctor will prescribe an alternative that will not cause fat development in the organ. Changes in the diet, regular exercise, taking vitamin supplements are among the other actions a doctor may advise to bring the condition under control.

If you think you may have fatty liver disease or have been diagnosed with the condition, go to a hospital with a Liver Disease Center of Excellence where you will be sure of receiving the specialized medical attention you need to recover from this serious illness.

Please contact our 24×7 Dedicated Liver Helpline: Ph: +91 73736 53653 for immediate advice and queries related to liver disease and transplantation.

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Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

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