IMPROVING HEALTH OF STEEMIANS #17- Fatty Liver Disease

Hello my steemit community,

In today's edition of IMPROVING HEALTH OF STEEMIANS, I want to talk with you about Fatty liver disease.

Yesterday I diagnosed fatty liver disease in one of my friends who is only 27 years old. Our fast lifestyle, unhealthy food and lack of knowledge is silenty killing us. That is why its important for the whole community to know something about this subject.

Fatty liver, or hepatic steatosis is the accumulation of triglycerides and other fats in the liver cells . Some fat in your liver is normal but if the accumulation of fat is above 5-10% of liver weight, then you may have fatty liver disease.

It develops when the body creates too much fat, and the liver can not adequately metabolize it. This excess fat is stored in the hepatocytes and causes the liver steatosis. Too much fat in the liver disables her function.

We distinguish two main types o fatty liver disease:

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

• Alcoholic liver disease (ALD)

Also, during pregnancy, due to changes in the hormonal status of women, it is possible to develop fatty liver. It usually presents in the third trimester and can lead to multi organ failure and death [1] .

source:Pixabay

CAUSES OF FATTY LIVER DISEASE

The most common causes are:

• alcoholism
• obesity
• pregnancy
• a sudden loss of body weight
• hyperlipidemia (elevated blood fat content)
• diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes)
• genetic heritage
• Cushing's syndrome
• some medicines ( acetylsalicylic acid, tetracyclines, amiodarone, tamoxifen, corticosteroids ...)
• complete intravenous diet [2]

Fatty liver disease is a reversible condition, which means that the liver can recover completely, mostly only with changes in life habits and nutrition.

The liver has a great ability to regenerate by creating new hepatocytes (liver cells) when it becomes damaged. If liver damage is constant and recurrent, the liver can no longer create new cells, but scar tissue (which has no function), and liver fibrosis - cirrhosis develops.

Liver cirrhosis is irreversible liver damage.

source:Pixabay

SYMPTOMS

Fatty liver disease most often does not show any specific symptoms. You can experience tiredness and vague discomfort in the abdominal cavity.

Pain, the most common symptom, is caused by increased size of a liver (hepatomegaly). Hepatomegaly causes liver pain in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity. Your stool can also be white due to lack of bilirubin.

Excessive fat in the liver can cause inflammation - steatohepatitis. If you develop steatohepatitis, you may have the following symptoms:

• lack of appetite
• loss of body weight
• abdominal pain
• flatulence
• nausea
• physical weakness
• mood swings

source:Pixabay

NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD)

The cause of this disease is not fully known, therefore it is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Histologically, this disease and alcoholic liver disease look the same.

In order to diagnose NAFLD, it is necessary to exclude the consumption of alcohol.

Possible causes:

• excessive body weight or obesity
• elevated cholesterol in the blood
• type 2 diabetes
• viral hepatitis
• autoimmune and hereditary liver disease [3]

Obesity is thought to be the most important factor in the development of this disease, because fat accumulates throughout the body, as well as in the liver cells.

Inadequate nutrition involves excessive intake of food such as snacks, candies, cakes, carbonated drinks, with physical inactivity.

If the cause is not recognized and the disease is not treated, the liver cirrhosis may develop.

DIAGNOSIS

As I mentioned it before , the liver is a "silent organ" and most often shows unspecific symptoms. Hence, liver disease is most commonly detected by random, routine blood tests.

Liver enzymes like ALT, AST, GGT and alkaline phosphatase will be elevated. Further diagnostic tools may include ultrasound, MR and CT of the liver.

source:Pixabay

TREATMENT

Fatty liver disease is a condition that is completely curable. The liver has a high regeneration capacity and treatment of fatty liver is possible naturally.

If you have fatty liver, you have the power to help your body to fight the disease by proper diet and avoiding harmful habits.

Supportive treatment implies:

• Abstinence from alcohol

• Changing eating habits - Recommended source of protein: raw meat (veal, poultry), fresh cheese, yogurt with probiotics, whey, blue and white fish. The amount of fat should be maximally reduced

• Avoiding other harmful substances like cigarettes

Do not let the curable disease become chronic and irreversible.

source:Pixabay

REFERENCES

[1] Papafragkakis H, Singhal S, Anand S.- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy. South Med J. 2013 Oct;106(10):588-93.

[2] Rinella ME JAMA. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review. 2015 Jun 9;313(22):2263-73.

[3] Demir M, Lang S, Steffen HM- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease - current status and future directions, J Dig Dis. 2015 Oct;16(10):541-57.

[4] Yasutake K, Kohjima M, Kotoh K, Nakashima M, Nakamuta M, Enjoji M- Dietary habits and behaviors associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease .World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Feb 21;20(7):1756-67.

Factual claims which are not sourced are from my own personal experience and med school.

This advice is for general health and intended to supplement the information you receive from your treating doctor. It in no way replaces the advice of your doctor. Please see your doctor if you have specific concerns regarding your health.

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