Understanding Fatty Liver Disease, Symptoms, and Treatment
The liver is the biggest internal organ in the human body, which is positioned on the upper-right side of the belly. The liver’s primary duties are to eliminate poisons and digest dietary nutrients before traveling anyplace else in the body, blood from the digestive system filters via the liver.
It is usual for the liver to have some fat but if fat makes up more than 10% of the liver’s weight, you have fatty liver and may develop more severe issues.
A fatty liver may not be harmful but the extra fat may occasionally contribute to liver inflammation. This illness, known as steatohepatitis, does harm the liver. Sometimes, alcohol consumption is associated with inflammation caused by a fatty liver. This condition is termed alcoholic steatohepatitis. Otherwise, the illness is known as NASH or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Over time, an inflammatory liver may become scarred and rigid. Cirrhosis is a dangerous illness that often leads to liver failure. NASH is among the three major causes of cirrhosis.
Causes of Fatty Liver
When the liver fails to process and metabolize fats as it should, excessive fat will build. Obesity, diabetes, and excessive triglycerides may cause fatty liver. Additionally, alcoholism, fast weight loss, and starvation may contribute to a fatty liver. Nonetheless, some individuals acquire fatty liver in the absence of these diseases.
How does Fat Accumulate in the Liver?
It is unknown how liver fat accumulates. The fat may originate from other body regions or the liver may absorb more fat from the gut. Another potential cause is that the liver loses the capacity to convert fat into an excretable form. However, consuming fatty meals alone does not cause a fatty liver.
Fatty Liver Symptoms
The presence of a fatty liver is unaccompanied by any symptoms. Thus fatty liver is often discovered via medical examinations for other reasons. NASH may damage the liver for years or even decades without showing any signs. You may have weariness, weight loss, stomach pain, weakness, and disorientation as the condition worsens.
Diagnostic Criteria for Fatty Liver
During a regular examination, your physician may detect anything strange in a blood test or that your liver is slightly enlarged. These may be indicators of a fatty liver.
If other illnesses have been checked out, NASH may be identified. A liver biopsy at the best liver hospital in Kolkata is the only way to determine whether the liver is diseased. Your physician will obtain a liver tissue sample using a needle and examine it under a microscope.
Following a diagnosis, some questions to ask your doctor include:
- What might be the reason for my fatty liver?
- Have I had cirrhosis? If not, what is my likelihood of developing cirrhosis?
- Do I need weight loss? How can I ensure my safety?
- Should I use any medicine for cholesterol and triglyceride control?
- To preserve my liver, what treatments and other drugs should I avoid?
Reversal and Prevention of Fatty Liver
Fortunately, you can do a few things to prevent or even cure the effects of a fatty liver that doesn’t need drugs or surgery.
If you have a fatty liver and NASH, in particular, you should:
Safely Lose Weight: This frequently involves losing one to two pounds per week, decreasing triglycerides by diet, treatment, or both, and avoiding alcohol. If you have diabetes, regulate it by eating a balanced, healthful diet and increasing your physical activity. Consult a specialist who specializes in liver care regularly.
Treatment for Fatty Liver
An intensive study is now being conducted on fatty liver. Scientists are investigating whether several drugs, including novel diabetes treatments that may assist you even if you don’t have diabetes, might lower liver inflammation. Initial findings suggest that orlistat may lower liver fat content. Consult the best liver doctor in Kolkata for the perfect treatment.
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