Tuesday, 13 August 2019

What Is Fatty Liver, What Is The Treatment?



As always said and highlighted as well “Drinking of alcohol is prohibited.” Be it a movie or any drama, a declaration about alcohol consumption is always mentioned. Well, it is stated simply because of the adverse effects of alcohol on our body and more specifically on the liver. When alcohol is consumed daily it can cause the formation of fat in your liver. Thus, leading to scarring of liver tissue. This condition is also referred to as cirrhosis. In this disease, the liver starts to give up on its functions depending upon the amount of scarring of liver tissue. Sometimes the same situation occurs even if you don’t consume any alcohol, this situation is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In addition to it, this can also lead to cirrhosis. Both the alcoholic liver disease(ALD) and NAFLD are categorised under a common umbrella called Fatty liver diseases. Technically, it is mentioned when 5-10% of the liver weight is known to be fat.

Symptoms
Well, the concrete causes for NAFLD are not completely understood, assumptions are made that it might be due to some connections between liver and insulin resistance. Moreover, NAFLD shows no visible symptoms. In case symptoms are present, they might include:

    Pain in the abdomen
    Experiencing fatigue
    Enlarged liver
    Swelling in the belly
    Jaundice fever

If NAFLD leads to cirrhosis, it may indicate several signs such as:

    Bleeding(internally)
    No fluid secretion
    Loss of liver function

Risk factors 
One of the studies revealed that NAFL has affected around 20% of the population. The key factor is being insulin resistance. Moreover, people who are obese are more prone to develop insulin resistance.

The best gastroenterologist in Mumbai stated few other risk factors for NAFLD are- Type-2 diabetics, use of certain cancer medicines, greater cholesterol levels, higher triglycerides level, usage of corticosteroids and improper eating habits that lead to uncertain weight loss.

How it’s diagnosed
Usually, a blood test is done that may indicate levels of liver enzymes and consequently can suggest about other liver diseases. Moreover, if any suspicious indications are found, then ultrasound is done to detect fat proportions. If any of the tests fail to provide conclusions then a liver biopsy is done to draw concrete conclusions and plan a course of treatment accordingly.

Treatment options 
The top gastroenterologist in India said that for treating NAFLS, there is no exact medication that can cure it. Hence, if you are obese your doctor might ask to reduce weight by adopting some lifestyle changes such as:

•  Incorporating healthy eating habits such as diet food containing multi-grains, fruits, green vegetables etc.
    Avoid eating junk and oily food, thus, controlling the cholesterol levels.
    Following an exercise regime of minimum 30 minutes daily.
    Avoiding alcohol

Can non-alcoholic fatty liver disease cause complications?

In mild NAFL cases, there may not be any severe complications. All you need is early diagnosis and adopting a few lifestyle changes for preserving your liver. However, in severe cases, the best gastrointestinal surgeon asserted that the highest risk is of cirrhosis, it can harness the functionality of the liver, hence, preventing the liver from doing its job. In extreme cases it might limit:

  Gynaecology doctors in Mumbai say that it will restrict in production of bile, that helps in eliminating excess waste from the body.
    Maintaining  fluid levels in the body by protein production
    Haemoglobin breakdown and iron secretion
    Converting ammonia in your blood to harmless urea for excretion
    Maintaining supply and release of glucose for energy retaining
    producing cholesterol, which is necessary for cellular health
    Eliminating bacteria from blood
    The production of immune factors to fight infections
     Preventing blood clotting

In severe cases, Cirrhosis can damage the liver or cause liver cancer. In such cases, medications along with liver transplantation surgery are required.

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