Fatty Liver: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

 What is the function of the liver?

Your liver is an essential organ with multiple life support functions. The liver:

• It produces bile that aids digestion.
• Produces proteins for the body.
• Stores iron.
• Convert nutrients into energy.
• Creates substances that help the blood to clot (bind to heal wounds).
• It helps you resist infection by producing immune factors and removing bacteria and toxins (substances that can harm your body) from your blood.

What is fatty liver disease?

Fatty liver disease (steatosis) is a common condition caused by an excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. A healthy liver contains a small amount of fat. It becomes a problem when fat reaches 5% to 10% of your liver's weight.

Why is fatty liver disease bad?

In most cases, the fatty liver disease does not cause any serious problems or prevent your liver from working normally. But in 7% to 30% of people with this condition, the fatty liver disease gets worse over time. It progresses through three stages:

• Your liver becomes inflamed (swollen), damaging its tissue. This stage is called steatohepatitis.
• Scar tissue forms where your liver is damaged. This process is called fibrosis.
• Extensive scar tissue replaces healthy tissue. At this point, he has cirrhosis of the liver.

Liver cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the liver is the result of severe damage to the liver. The hard scar tissue that replaces healthy liver tissue slows down the liver. Eventually, it can block liver function completely. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.

What are the forms of fatty liver disease?

There are two main forms of fatty liver disease:

Alcoholic liver disease

Alcoholic fatty liver is the accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. (Drinking in moderation is defined as one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.) About 5% of people in the US have this form of liver disease.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs in people who do not drink much. The condition affects one in three adults and one in 10 children in the United States. Researchers have not found the exact cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Several factors, such as obesity and diabetes, can increase your risk.

Who Gets Fatty Liver Disease?

You have a higher chance of developing the fatty liver disease if:

• They are Hispanic or Asian.
• You are a postmenopausal woman (a woman whose periods have stopped).
• She is obese with a high level of abdominal fat.
• You have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
• You have obstructive sleep apnea (a blocked airway that causes breathing to stop and start during sleep).

What Causes Fatty Liver Disease?

Some people get the fatty liver disease without having any pre-existing conditions. But these risk factors make you more likely to develop it:

• Being obese or overweight.
• Have type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
• Have metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels).
• Taking certain prescription medications, such as amiodarone (Cordarone®), diltiazem (Cardizem®), tamoxifen (Nolvadex®), or steroids.

What are the 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 have symptoms, they may include:

• Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right part 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.