FATTY LIVER DISEASE & TREATMENT

Fatty liver disease or Hepatic steatosis is caused due to deposition of extra fat in the LIVER.

Major cause of the Fatty liver disease is HEAVY DRINKING. Consuming too much alcohol leads to a build up of fat inside the hepatocytes making it difficult for the liver to work.

There can be two types of this Fatty liver disease, even if a person is a teetotaller. They are of the following types:

• NAFLD (Non alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). This is a simple type of the hepatic disorder in which there may not be liver inflammation. It doesn’t cause severe problems with the liver.
• NASH (Non Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis). In this case there is inflammation of the liver and damaged Hepatic cells causing severe problems like cirrhosis and fibrosis leading to liver cancer. 

There are some other causes of the Fatty liver disease:

• Viral Infections like Hepatitis C
• Rapid loss of weight
• Taking medication like methotrexate, synthetic estrogens, tamoxifen, etc.
• Cholecystectomy or surgical removal of gall bladder have maximum chances of fatty liver disease.

Symptoms

1. Pain in the upper side of belly.
2. Swollen belly.
3. Subcutaneous blood vessels enlargement.
4. Reddish palms.
5. Yellow skin.
6. Yellowish eyes due to jaundice.
7. In males, breasts are larger than normal.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS 

1. BLOOD TESTS like Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST). If a patient has high levels of these enzymes in blood, there could be a problem with the liver.
2. IMAGING TESTS like USG, CT scan or MRI scan can be done to test the presence of fat in the LIVER. But it’s not possible to detect whether the person is having NASH or simple fatty liver.
3. LIVER BIOPSY is the proper way to diagnose NASH. Here, the doctor removes a sample of tissue from the liver and sends it to the lab for diagnosis.

TREATMENT OF FATTY LIVER 

1. Reduce the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels by eating healthy plant based diet and take medication like statins.
2. Diabetic patients should take medication as the physicians prescribe.
3. Staying at a healthy weight is extremely necessary. Maintain it by choosing a healthy diet and regular workouts.
4. Caffeine present in coffee could help lower the number of abnormal liver enzymes and protects the liver against NAFLD.
5. Consumption of legumes like soyabean, lentils and green peas help lower blood glucose and triglyceride levels and also reduce the chances of NAFLD.
6. Fish rich in Omega 3 fatty acids like tuna, salmon, trout, sardine and Hilsa reduce liver fat by boosting healthy HDL.
7. High doses of Curcumin present in turmeric decrease the levels of ALT, AST which are abnormally high in patients with fatty liver disease.
8. Consumption of walnuts regularly have improved Liver Function Tests.