People who have been diagnosed with so-called fatty liver, run an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and loss in life expectancy, compared to the general population. These patients have approximately a 2.8 years shorter expected survival, based on collected data from a large number of Swedish patients.
You may live the rest of your natural life without having any complications from it. It becomes more complicated for a small percentage of people when it turns to steatohepatitis (NASH), and especially when NASH progresses to cirrhosis. Research suggests that NAFLD overall may lower life expectancy by four years.
After 20 years, this corresponded to an absolute excess risk of overall mortality of 10.7% with simple steatosis, 18.5% with NASH without fibrosis, 25.6% with non-cirrhotic fibrosis, and 49.4% with cirrhosis, compared to population controls.
Early-stage NAFLD doesn't usually cause any harm, but it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, if it gets worse. Having high levels of fat in your liver is also associated with an increased risk of problems such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
Fatty liver disease rarely causes any symptoms, but it's an important warning sign that you're drinking at a harmful level. Fatty liver disease is reversible. If you stop drinking alcohol for some time (months or years), your liver should return to normal.
Causes of fatty liver disease. Eating excess calories causes fat to build up in the liver. When the liver does not process and break down fats as it normally should, too much fat will accumulate. People tend to develop fatty liver if they have certain other conditions, such as obesity, diabetes or high triglycerides.
Another 20% to 30% of individuals progress to more advanced NASH fibrosis, and the final stage is NASH cirrhosis. It used to be thought that progression from early stage NAFLD to cirrhosis took decades, but recent studies have shown that some people progress rapidly within 2 years.
Bariatric surgery may be indicated in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to achieve and maintain the degree of weight loss required to ensure therapeutic effects.
Cirrhosis has become irreversible. Diagnosed at stage 3, the 1-year survival rate is 80%. It's during stage 3 that a liver transplant may be recommended. There's always a risk a person's body will reject the transplant, but if accepted, 80% of transplant patients survive more than 5 years past their operation.
Evidence suggests that NAFLD may begin in utero in children of diabetic mothers. However, NAFLD typically is diagnosed between the ages of 10–13 years. The actual onset of disease for most children is not known. At diagnosis 10–25% of children can have advanced fibrosis.
Patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease who continue to consume large amounts of alcohol daily have been found to have a risk of 8–30% of developing fibrosis or cirrhosis after 10 years.
The cumulative risk of progression of NAFLD to cirrhosis, and compensated cirrhosis to decompensated cirrhosis was 39% and 45%, respectively, over 8 years of follow-up. The independent predictors of progression included cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, dyslipidemia and diabetes.
NAFLD affects about 25% of people in the world. As the rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol are rising in the United States, so is the rate of NAFLD. NAFLD is the most common chronic liver disorder in the United States.
The main stages of NAFLD are: simple fatty liver (steatosis) – a largely harmless build-up of fat in the liver cells that may only be diagnosed during tests carried out for another reason. non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamed.
Fatty liver is most commonly diagnosed by a routine liver function test drawn from your blood. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a specific marker for liver inflammation and is typically elevated in individuals with a fatty liver.
Chronic fatigue or weakness. Abdominal discomfort, such as cramping or nausea. Confusion or difficulty thinking. Bruising or bleeding easily, including nosebleeds.
However, fatty liver disease can enlarge the liver. When this occurs, may cause pain or discomfort in the upper right side of the abdomen, which is the area between the hips and chest. Early symptoms can include: loss of appetite.
We conclude that fat infiltration of the liver is well correlated with amount of abdominal fat. Fatty liver tends to be more strongly associated with VF compared to SF. In other words, if a non-obese patient exhibits fatty liver, the patient may in fact have visceral obesity.
Stage 2: Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is a more serious form of NAFLD and occurs if the liver becomes damaged causing it to become inflamed. NASH is more likely to occur in people who are overweight or obese, or who have diabetes.
Medications commonly implicated in causing fatty liver include corticosteroids, antidepressant and antipsychotic medications and, most commonly, tamoxifen.
If you've been diagnosed with any fatty liver disease, let your health care provider know if you have any symptoms that mean the disease is getting worse. These include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, fluid retention, or bleeding.
Reversing fatty liver disease Grade II is rare, but not impossible. Satyendra Garg narrates how he managed to reverse the condition through intermittent fasting and sticking to a proper diet.