THE NEXT TWO MINUTES COULD POSITIVELY IMPACT HEALTH OF 1 OUT OF 3 ADULTS.

Fatty liver is known in medical circles as “Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease” and this is often abbreviated to NAFLD.



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7 ALARMING REASONS WHY FATTY LIVER DISEASE IS A TICKING TIME BOMB.


1.Non-alcoholic fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD- simply called Fatty Liver) is a common disorder characterised by the accumulation of fat above 5% of liver weight. The fat invades healthy liver tissues and gradually reduces the efficiency of the liver.A simple fatty liver (Which tends to be stable over years with low liver-related mortality) can progress to more problematic and life-threatening NASH/ Cirrhosis /HCC and Cardiovascular Diseases as shown in the above picture.

2. With Excessive consumption of the processed and fatty food coupled with a modern-day urbanised lifestyle, the chance of the simple fatty liver progressing to the next problematic stage is high

3. Progression of fatty liver causes the following major health issues, apart from direct liver diseases such as HCC and Cirrhosis.

  • Makes you overweight and diabetic
  • High Blood pressure and high Cholesterol
  • Heart attacks/Cardio Vascular disease
  • Depression & unpleasant mood
  • Skin allergies and skin rashes

4 .A significant number of cases of the cryptogenic cirrhosis (No recognizable cause of cirrhosis) today are due to late stage of NAFLD

5.NAFLD can act as a cofactor with another liver disease (viral hepatitis B&C) to enhance of disease progression. NAFLD can also exacerbate the damage caused by other liver diseases including Alcoholic Liver Disease

6. Many people with a fatty liver are unaware that they have a liver problem as it is asymptomatic or symptoms can be vague and non-specific, especially in the early stages. In most of the simple fatty liver cases, the blood tests will show a normal liver function.

7. As in most cases, serious illness doesn’t happen overnight and the disease progresses to the next stage slowly over the years in a minority of cases (15-25%). Therefore, most people don’t take NAFLD seriously and ignore it without making any effort to reverse it.

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How do you first discover Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

Even though one out of three adult population is suffering from fatty liver, many of them are unaware that they have fatty liver as its symptoms can be vague and non-specific, especially in the early stage. The key issue in the diagnosis and management of NAFLD is the distinction between simple fatty liver (simple Steatosis) and NASH, as the former is considered an indolent condition and the latter a progressive form with increased morbidity and mortality. The following tests are currently available to detect NAFLD and its progression &severity.

Blood Test (Liver Function Test)

If the liver enzymes known as ALT and AST are raised above normal level, then it signifies inflammation and a damage to the liver cells caused by fat built up inside them. Please note that the normal liver enzymes (Normal liver function Test) do not rule out a diagnosis of NAFLD.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is the preferred as first-line diagnosis of Fatty Liver. All imaging techniques (ultrasound, MRI and CT scan) have limited sensitivity for mild steatosis and do not reliably detect steatosis (Fatty Liver) when it is less than 20%. Also it cannot distinguish NASH from simple fatty liver(steatosis).

FIBROSCAN/Shear Wave Electrography/ARFI

Once the diagnosis of fatty liver has been made then the next practical step would be to access non-invasively the amount of fibrosis. The diagnosis of steatohepatitis provides important prognostic information and places the patient at higher risk of fibrosis progression, cirrhosis and HCC. Fibroscan/Shear Wave Elastography and ARFI are the main techniques currently used to evaluate fibrosis and its severity.

Liver Biopsy:

Although liver Biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of the steatohepatitis and assessing the disease severity, it would be inappropriate to biopsy every patient diagnosed with NAFLD, as it is costly and has potential side effects as it is an invasive test.When a non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis and hepatic inflammation in NASH are in doubt a liver biopsy should be performed.

5 INTERESTING THINGS THAT MAKE FATTY LIVER DISEASE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER DISEASES.

  • In most of the fatty liver cases serious illness doesn’t happen us overnight, you have time to act at its early stage itself.
  • Your body produces warning signs and symptoms of a potential or evolving health issue.
  • The liver can repair and renew itself but you need to give time and the right solutions.
  • Fatty liver responds very well to correct treatment and it is easily reversible at the early stage. The trick is to pick it up before it is too late
  • Liver disease is an emerging epidemic and education and a knowledge are the most powerful solutions we have available today to prevent liver disease