An overview of Liver Disease
What is fatty liver disease?
Fatty liver disease (steatosis) is a common condition caused by having too much fat build up in your liver. A healthy liver contains a small amount of fat. It becomes a problem when fat reaches 5% to 10% of your liver’s weight.
Causes of fatty liver disease
Some people get fatty liver disease without having any pre-existing conditions. But these risk factors make you more likely to develop it:
1. Having overweight/obesity.
2. Having Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
3. Having metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels).
4. Taking certain prescription medications, such as amiodarone (Cordarone®), diltiazem (Cardizem®), tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) or steroids.
Signs and symptoms of fatty liver disease
People with fatty liver disease often have no symptoms until the disease progresses to cirrhosis of the liver. If you do have symptoms, they may include:
1. Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen (belly).
2. Nausea, loss of appetite or weight loss.
3. Yellowish skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice).
4. Swollen abdomen and legs (edema).
5. Extreme tiredness or mental confusion.
6. Weakness.
Preventive measures against fatty liver disease
The best way to avoid fatty liver disease is to do the things that maintain overall health:
1. Stay at a healthy weight. If you have overweight/obesity, lose weight gradually.
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Limit your alcohol consumption.
4. Take medications as prescribed.
How Is fatty liver disease Diagnosed?
Because fatty liver disease often has no symptoms, your doctor may be the first one to spot it. Higher levels of liver enzymes (elevated liver enzymes) that turn up on a blood test for other conditions may raise a red flag. Elevated liver enzymes are a sign your liver is injured. To make a diagnosis, your doctor may order:
1. Ultrasound or computed tomography (CT scan) to get a picture of the liver.
2. Liver biopsy (tissue sample) to determine how far advanced liver disease has progressed.
3. FibroScan®, a specialized ultrasound sometimes used instead of a liver biopsy to find out the amount of fat and scar tissue in the liver.
Treatment for fatty liver disease
There’s no medication specifically for fatty liver disease. Instead, doctors focus on helping you manage factors that contribute to the condition. They also recommend making lifestyle changes that can significantly improve your health. Treatment includes:
1. Avoiding alcohol.
2. Losing weight.
3. Taking medications to manage diabetes, cholesterol and triglycerides (fat in the blood).
4. Taking vitamin E and thiazolidinediones (drugs used to treat diabetes such as Actos® and Avandia®) in specific instances .
Complications
When left untreated, fatty liver disease can progress to inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Scarring due to cirrhosis isn’t reversible. If you develop cirrhosis, it also increases your risk of liver cancer and liver failure. These complications can be life threatening.
Frequently Asked Questions About fatty liver disease
The liver has an amazing ability to repair itself. If you avoid alcohol or lose weight, it’s possible to reduce liver fat and inflammation and reverse early liver damage.
Fatty liver disease doesn’t cause major problems for most people. However, it can turn into a more serious problem if it progresses into cirrhosis of the liver. Untreated cirrhosis of the liver eventually leads to liver failure or liver cancer. Your liver is an organ you can’t live without.
Follow a balanced diet to lose weight slowly but steadily. Rapid weight loss can actually make fatty liver disease worse. Doctors often recommend the Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, fruits and good fats. Ask your doctor or nutritionist for advice on healthy weight loss techniques.
In most cases, fatty liver disease doesn’t cause any serious problems or prevent your liver from functioning normally. But for 7% to 30% of people with the condition, fatty liver disease gets worse over time.