The estimated pool prevalence of fatty liver disease in adults is 38.6%, as per a study conducted by National Centre of Biotechnology Information (NCBI). With the prevalence rate this high, fatty liver disease is a major concern in India.
The fatty liver disease is also known as Hepatic Steatosis which occurs due to a prolonged sedimentation of fat on the liver. Even though having a minimal formation of fat on your liver is not a major concern, fat sedimentation of over 20% of your liver’s weight is classified as fatty liver.
Since fatty liver can lead to major issues like fibrosis and liver failure, it is essential to identify its prevalence in your body early on. Hence, here is everything you need to know about fatty liver disease to recognise its signs and symptoms before it is too late.
You will find three types of fatty liver disease in human beings namely, Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy (AFLP), and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Here’s what each of these fatty liver types mean.
This fatty liver type is led by direct damage caused to the liver due to excessive alcohol consumption. Under this come two subtypes of AFLD, which are Simple Alcoholic Fatty Liver and Alcoholic Steatohepatitus.
Simple Alcoholic Fatty Liver does not show much inflammation or other such complications. However, Alcoholic Steatohepatitus shows excessive sedimentation/formation of fat on the liver and severe inflammation.
Alcoholic Steatohepatitus can lead to fibrosis, liver scarring, and potentially, liver failure.
Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy is seen in pregnant women when excess fat builds up on the liver. This is not as common as prenatal diabetes. However, it is a serious pregnancy complication and its implications can be troublesome.
The development of this type of fatty liver is seen during the third trimester of pregnancy and getting immediate help can save the lives of the birth giver and the baby. Upon diagnosis, your assigned doctor will want you to deliver as soon as possible to prevent any serious implications or prolonged damage to the foetus.
After delivery, your liver’s health will gradually return to its state from before the pregnancy. However, it is likely that you will be under observation for a while for follow-up care and treatment.
If you do not consume excessive alcohol and yet develop a fatty liver, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or NAFLD is your fatty liver type. This could be a result of diabetes, obesity, genetics, etc.
If you don’t have a history of heavy alcohol consumption and your diagnosis states fatty liver with an excessive fat buildup and inflammation, you have Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis or NASH. Otherwise, with no excessive buildup or inflammation, the diagnosis would be that of simple NAFLD.
If your NASH is not treated in time, it could cause a serious case of fibrosis, cirrhosis or liver failure.
Given below are the common stages across all types of fatty liver. The trajectory looks a lot like this:
The excessive fat formation on the liver is mostly harmless if it does not increase.
With growing fat formation, the liver will also experience inflammation.
With consistent fat growth, the liver’s tissue is now scarred.
The liver’s functionality is impaired due to the spread of scarred tissue. The condition at this point is irreversible.
Clear Signs and Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease
Here’s how to recognise fatty liver disease in yourself and others through clear signs and symptoms that blatantly hint towards the prevalence of excess fat formation of your liver.
You could feel pangs of sharp pains in the upper right side of your abdominal area. The shots of sharp pains can be spontaneous, however, leaving behind a prolonged ache that could be very painful and exhausting.
Due to a disruption in digestive functions, feeling sick is a common symptom of a fatty liver. You could feel nausea that could last for long periods of time, directly impacting your appetite and digestive health.
The loss of appetite is mostly a result of abdominal pain and nausea. Since you will experience hunger but not have the will to eat, you could feel extreme fatigue and lethargy.
You will see changes in the tone of your skin that could make your skin seem slightly pale or yellow. This could be even across the expanse of your skin or form patches around certain areas. The white of your eyes could also lean towards a shade of yellow.
Cirrhosis Symptoms
The symptoms of cirrhosis in particular are stated as follows:
Loss of body weight
Irritated skin
Yellowish tint in the eyes
Bruising or bleeding easily
Urine turning to a dark colour
Pale stool
Swelling feet
Webs of blood vessels under skin
Ascites (fluid accumulation in the stomach)
The Risk Factors You Can Look Out For
Here are the risk factors of fatty liver that you could avoid to prevent yourself from falling ill with this disease.
Consuming 8+ drinks every week
Obesity
Smoking
High cholesterol
Sleep apnea
Rapid weight loss
How Can You Prevent Fatty Liver
To prevent fatty liver is to make major lifestyle changes and to stick to those changes in a disciplined manner. Hence, given below are a few points that can help you start your prevention journey if you have a history of fatty liver in your family.
Areas of Change What you can do Lifestyle Changes
Maintain ideal weight if you are overweight or underweight
Reduce or cut out alcohol completely
Maintain dietary discipline
Minimum 30 minutes of exercise daily
Dietary Changes
Cut heavily caloric foods
Increase fibre intake
Reduce intake of sodium, saturated fats, refined carbs, and trans fats
Avoid raw or uncooked meat
Drink plenty of water
To Put It Simply…
Fatty liver is a rather sneaky disease. WIth symptoms this common that many experience on a daily basis due to intense lifestyles, its presence can go undetected for a long time. This is a problem that you definitely don’t want to see prevailing in your body. Hence, approaching a doctor for correct and timely diagnosis at the smallest signs can go a long way. Those abdominal aches and loss of appetite could be a lot more than you think. Moreover, following preventive measures as a lifestyle discipline could save you from a lot of health-related trouble.
If someone in your family is showing any signs of fatty liver, it is time to consult a reliable doctor. However, do keep in mind that the expenses surrounding this treatment could be sky-high. Hence, getting family health insurance, such as family floater plans, could go a long way with protecting your finances in time of medical treatments and health-related eventualities for your entire clan.
Disclaimer: This article is published in association with Bajaj Finserve and not created by TNM Editorial.