4 min read
Fatty liver is a topic very commonly talked about in Hong Kong. It is the condition that excessive fat accumulates in the liver. The disease may be silent, meaning that there may be no symptoms at all, or few symptoms causing not much nuisance in one’s daily life. However, its complications can be very serious. Keep on scrolling down to learn more about fatty liver.
Fatty liver occurs when there is too much fat built up in the liver. The liver is a common site to handle and store excessive fat. At some point, when there is too much fat accumulated, the liver cell structure is interrupted and starts losing its functions. The transformation is irreversible at a late stage.
Fatty liver is a more and more common disease due to the increasing obesity levels globally and may lead to further consequences.
Fatty liver disease is a chronic disease with rising prevalence. There are, in fact, two types of fatty liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The cause of ALD is, as you can tell from its name, excessive alcohol consumption. For NAFLD, there are two subtypes: non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH is when NAFL progresses and involves inflammation. The causes are not well established as the potential causes vary much in individuals. Nevertheless, the following risk factors are associated with increased risk:
Fatty liver is usually known as a silent disease that does have many signs and symptoms. What it does is enlarging the liver and impeding some of its functions. Therefore, those with NAFL or ALD might experience some of the following:
Fatty livers, in most cases, are silent and are not easily noticed without regular body checkups. In the early stage, it may not cause many problems, but at a late stage, there will be serious aftermath. The complications include:
Fatty liver cannot be easily diagnosed as it does not exhibit many symptoms at the early stage. In most cases, it is discovered accidentally. If the doctor suspects that you suffer from hepatic steatosis, he or she may do the following things to look into the situation:
Fatty liver can be treated at an early stage usually by avoiding the risk factors. These measures can prevent the disease too.
Some of the fatty liver cases have progressed to steatohepatitis or even cirrhosis. What can be done is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid all the risk factors. There have not been any medications approved for curing the disease as of the time of writing. The remaining option is to undergo liver transplantation, especially for those who have developed cirrhosis. After the transplant, most of them can become healthy again.
Basically, fatty liver disease has three stages, steatosis, hepatitis and cirrhosis. Most people are in the first stage and there are minimal symptoms, but this doesn’t mean that it’s not serious. Fatty liver can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Majority of fatty liver patients die of stroke or heart disease rather than liver cirrhosis.
It is pretty cliched: being physically active and having a healthy diet. It is best for you to have 30 minutes of physical exercise at a moderate intensity on most days of the week, and have a plant-based diet with little fat.
Yes, you can.
This article was independently written by Healthy Matters and is not sponsored. It is informative only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be relied upon for specific medical advice.
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