Poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle bring various health problems, especially obesity. Some of these diseases seriously threaten human health. Therefore, it is essential to know what these health problems are caused by and take the necessary health measures to protect our health. One of the mentioned health problems is fatty liver. GiandLiverConsultants provide the best liver consultants.
What is Fatty Liver?
The liver is the epicenter of numerous metabolic events in our body. In this sense, it is the main organ where all the foods and substances taken into the body are first processed, metabolized, and given to the blood or excreted from the body according to how they are used. From this point of view, mainly due to the intake of various foods or chemicals that will trigger oil production in large amounts, fat production increases significantly after liver metabolism.
This increase in fat, especially around the liver cells, results in the clinic's surrounding liver tissue with fatty tissue. Eventually, a liver with dense adipose tissue emerges, which will cause impairment in various functions of the liver.
Fatty liver occurs in various stages clinically. Accordingly, the fatty liver consists of the following four steps:
Simple fatty liver: An increase in liver fat is detected.
Steatohepatitis: Inflammatory reactions are observed with severe fatty liver in liver.
Fibrosis: With the inflammatory response, fibrotic bands occur in the liver.
Cirrhosis: Liver failure develops due to a large amount of loss of liver tissue and its wrapping with fibrotic bands.
What are the Symptoms of Fatty Liver?
Generally, the fatty liver does not cause clinical symptoms. It is often discovered incidentally during routine blood tests or imaging methods. However, in healthy liver tissue, as fat cells replace the liver cells that perform the tasks mentioned above, it causes disruptions in the essential functions of the liver. Also, it causes the loss of existing liver cells. These two conditions can result in the appearance of the symptoms of fatty liver. These symptoms include:
decreased appetite
Weakness-fatigue
Widespread bruises on the body, prolonged nose or menstrual bleeding
General itching of the skin
jaundice in the eyes and skin
Widespread acne or rash on the skin
Enlargement of breast tissue in men
Stomach ache
Swelling in the abdomen or feet
What Causes Fatty Liver?
The basis of fatty liver is increased fat production in the body and damage to liver cells.
Fatty liver is classified as alcoholic and non-alcoholic adiposity. In alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol that enters the body after long-term alcohol consumption causes damage to the liver and triggers oil production. Recycling is possible with the cessation of alcohol.
Different underlying diseases and conditions can be found in non-alcoholic (non-alcoholic) fatty liver disease.
Obesity: As a result of an unbalanced and wrong diet and a sedentary lifestyle, the foods taken into the body are stored as fat. As a result, there is an increase in the fat tissue in the liver.
Alcohol use
High blood sugar and diabetes: Fat production increases in cases of high blood sugar due to insulin resistance, also known as hidden sugar among people, or in cases of uncontrolled blood sugar elevation, such as in diabetes.
High blood cholesterol: The increase in cholesterol in the blood, which is harmful to the body, triggers an increase in fat.
Viral liver infections (hepatitis): In various diseases like hepatitis C, liver cells are damaged and replaced by adipose tissue.
Fatty liver associated with pregnancy: Severe fatty liver and liver disease may occur during pregnancy due to specific mechanisms.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH): Non-alcoholic people may experience fatty liver disease similar to alcohol use due to various mechanisms.
Autoimmune hepatitis: Like in viral infections, the immune system perceives the liver as a threat and creates inflammation, resulting in fat and liver damage.
Some rheumatological diseases: Fatty liver is encountered in various rheumatologic disorders involving the liver and bile ducts.
Rapid weight loss: Sudden and massive weight loss disrupts the cholesterol and fat balance in the body, resulting in fatty liver.
Poisoning with some chemicals: Toxic substances such as carbon tetrachloride can directly damage and lubricate the liver.
Side effects of some drugs: Various drugs such as amiodarone, tamoxifen, methotrexate can cause liver damage and fatty tissue.
What are the Harms of Fatty Liver?
If fatty liver is not treated, liver failure and cirrhosis may develop due to the ongoing loss of liver cells. For this reason, the detection of fatty liver is critical and requires careful treatment planning.
What is done in the treatment of fatty liver?
Since the fatty liver can occur due to many different health problems, successful treatment of fatty liver depends on the correct determination of the underlying problem. In this sense, after detecting fatty liver by a specialist physician, a detailed history is taken to diagnose the underlying disease, a physical examination is performed, and additional tests are requested. Then, the treatment is determined according to the detected problem. GiandLiverConsultants provide the best gastrointestinal consultants.
For problems such as obesity, high blood sugar, or cholesterol, lifestyle changes and dietary recommendations for weight loss are given to the patient. The patient is directed to a dietitian to determine a good nutrition program. I am asking you to stop using alcohol. If there are chronic diseases or infections detected other than these, treatments are started.
It is essential to try to eliminate liver fat after it is detected. Otherwise, untreated adiposity may progress and lead to liver failure and cirrhosis. In this case, treatment is more complicated, and life-threatening situations may occur.
Salt: Consuming large amounts of salt triggers food intake and fat production