How to Identify and Manage Fatty Liver Disease
Fatty liver disease is a common disorder that comes from storing extra fat in the liver. Some people do not have symptoms, and that does not cause them serious problems. However, in some cases this can lead to damage to the liver. The good news is that lifestyle changes can often avoid or even reverse fatty liver disease.
Liver’s Function
Your liver is an essential organ with multiple life-supporting functions. The liver
Bile is produced which helps with digestion.
Makes proteins for the body.
It Stores iron.
It Converts nutrients into energy.
Creates substances that help your blood clot (stick together to heal wounds).
Helps you to avoid infections by making immune factors and eliminating bacteria and toxins from your blood (substances that can harm your body).
Stages of Fatty Liver
Fatty Liver can progress in 4 stages:
Simple Fatty Liver - The liver contains an accumulation of excess fat.
Steatohepatitis - There is inflammation in the liver aside from excess fat.
Fibrosis - Inflammation has caused scarring in the liver.
Cirrhosis - Damaging of the liver has become widespread.
Cirrhosis is a Life - Dangerous condition that could cause hepatic insufficiency. That could have been irreversible. This is why it is so important not to rise first.
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Follow the doctor's recommended treatment plan to help avoid the fatty liver from worsening and causing complications.
Types of Liver Fatty Diseases
There are two types of fatty liver disease:
Alcoholic Liver Disease
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Alcoholic Liver Disease
Alcoholic fatty liver is the heavy drinking causing accumulation of fat in the liver. (Moderate drinking is described as one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.) Approximately 5% of people in the United States have this type of liver illness.
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
For people who aren't heavy drinkers, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease exists. The condition affects one in three adults in the United States, and one in ten children. The exact cause of the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has not been found by researchers. A number of factors can increase your risk, such as obesity and diabetes.
Causes of Fatty Liver Disease
Many people develop fatty liver disease with no pre - existing conditions. But those factors of risk make you more likely to grow.
Being obese or overweight.
Having Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
Metabolic syndrome (resistance to insulin, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels);
Taking certain prescription medications, such as diltiazem (Cardizem®), tamoxifen (Nolvadex®), amiodarone (Cordarone®), or steroids.
Extreme tiredness or mental confusion.
Weakness.
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
Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen (belly).
Nausea, loss of appetite or weight loss.
Yellowish skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice).
Swollen abdomen and legs (edema).
Extreme tiredness or mental confusion.
Weakness.
FAQs on Fatty Liver Symptoms Explained
1. What are the common early symptoms of fatty liver disease?
In its initial stages, fatty liver disease often presents with no noticeable symptoms. When they do appear, they are typically mild and can include:
- A persistent feeling of tiredness or fatigue.
- A dull ache or discomfort in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, where the liver is located.
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
- A general sense of weakness or feeling unwell.
These signs are often vague, which is why the condition can go undiagnosed for a long time.
2. What are the primary causes that lead to the development of a fatty liver?
Fat accumulation in the liver is primarily caused by two main conditions. The most common is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), which is strongly linked to metabolic syndrome and risk factors like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. The second is Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), which is the direct result of excessive and prolonged alcohol consumption. In both cases, the liver's ability to process fats is overwhelmed, leading to their storage in liver cells (hepatocytes).
3. Can fatty liver disease cause visible symptoms on the skin or face?
Yes, as fatty liver disease progresses to more severe stages like cirrhosis, it can cause visible symptoms. This is because a severely damaged liver cannot perform its functions properly. Key signs include:
- Jaundice: A yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the blood.
- Spider angiomas: Small, spider-like blood vessels that appear on the skin, typically on the face and chest.
- Palmar erythema: Redness of the palms of the hands.
- Easy bruising and bleeding due to the liver's reduced ability to produce clotting factors.
4. How serious is fatty liver disease, and can it cause permanent damage?
Simple fatty liver (steatosis) is often reversible and may not cause serious harm. However, if the underlying cause is not addressed, it can progress to a more serious condition called steatohepatitis (NASH in non-alcoholics or ASH in alcoholics), which involves liver inflammation. This inflammation can lead to the formation of scar tissue (fibrosis). Over time, extensive fibrosis can result in cirrhosis, a late-stage, irreversible condition that severely impairs liver function and can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.
5. Why do many people with early-stage fatty liver have no symptoms?
The liver has a remarkable capacity to function even when partially damaged, known as its functional reserve. In the early stages of fatty liver disease, only a fraction of liver cells may be affected, and the healthy parts of the liver can compensate, carrying out all necessary metabolic functions. Symptoms typically only begin to appear when the damage and inflammation become widespread enough to significantly impair the liver's overall performance, which is why the condition is often called a 'silent' disease.
6. What is the biological connection between obesity and the development of fatty liver?
The link between obesity and NAFLD is rooted in insulin resistance. In an obese state, body cells become less responsive to insulin. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, leading to high levels in the blood. This state promotes the flow of fatty acids from fat tissue to the liver and also increases the liver's own production of fat. This dual effect overwhelms the liver's capacity to process and export fat, causing it to accumulate within the liver cells and trigger the disease process.
7. How do the symptoms of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) compare?
In the early stages, the symptoms (or lack thereof) for both AFLD and NAFLD are nearly identical, as both involve fat accumulation. The primary difference is the cause—excessive alcohol versus metabolic factors. As the diseases progress, the symptoms of liver damage like fatigue, jaundice, and abdominal swelling are similar. However, patients with AFLD may also exhibit symptoms of alcohol dependence or withdrawal, while NAFLD patients are more likely to have pronounced signs of metabolic syndrome, such as central obesity and high blood pressure.
