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Know More About Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

The nonalcoholic fatty liver disease also called NAFLD is a disease when the range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As the name explains the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat in the liver cells. The damage is similar to one caused due to one caused by heavy alcohol use. It is very severe, and it may progress to cirrhosis and liver failure.

Symptoms

The nonalcoholic fatty liver disease normally causes no indication. Later when it does it includes:

Enlarged liver

Fatigue

Pain in upper right abdomen

Causes

Experts don’t know exactly why some people accumulate fat in their liver while others do not. Similarly, they also have no clue about why some fatty liver develops inflammation that progresses to cirrhosis. NAFLD is linked to the following:

Overweight

Insulin resistance

High blood sugar, indicating type 2 diabetes

High level of fat, particularly triglycerides, in the blood

Risk factor

A wide range of disease and condition can increase your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease including:

High cholesterol

High level of triglycerides in blood

Metabolic syndrome

Obesity, particularly in this case fat is concentrated in abdomen

Polycystic ovary syndrome

Sleep apnea

Type 2 diabetes

Underactive thyroid

Underactive pituitary gland

How it is diagnosed

NAFLD usually has no symptoms. So diagnosing the problem often starts after the blood test finds higher than normal level of liver enzymes. A standard blood test could reveal these results. However, levels of the liver enzyme could also suggest other liver diseases. So the doctor in charge needs to rule out other conditions before diagnosing NAFLD.

An ultrasound of liver can help to reveal excessive fat content in the liver. Another type of ultrasound known as transient elastography measures your liver’s stiffness. Greater the stiffness suggest greater scarring.

If these tests are not decisive then the doctor has to do the liver biopsy. In which the surgeon removes a small sample of liver tissue with a needle inserted through the abdomen. The sample studies in the laboratory for any sign of inflammation and scarring.

Can disease like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease causes any complications:

The main problem with the NAFLD is cirrhosis which actually limits your liver’s ability to function normally. The function includes the production of bile and metabolizing medication and toxins. Converting of ammonia in the blood to harmless urea for excretion is another important function of the liver. Producing cholesterol and removing bacteria from blood are other function. Cirrhosis may progress to liver cancer or liver failure. In some cases, liver failure can be treated with medication but usually, a liver transplant is required. Mild cases of NAFLD may not lead to serious liver problems or serious complication. But this early diagnosis and change in the lifestyle are necessary for preserving the health of the liver.

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What are Common Liver Diseases Requiring Transplant?

The liver is your largest internal organ located in the upper right portion of your stomach. It is a vital organ essential for digestion and flushing out toxins from your body. You should know about common liver diseases so you can prevent your liver from problems and keep it healthy.

Hepatitis B/C: It is a viral infection that can damage the liver to the point where a transplant becomes the only solution. But the damage to the liver could be reduced by taking quick action.

Biliary Artesia: It is a malfunction of the bile duct. The liver sends bile to the gall bladder or intestine through the bile duct. But a malfunction could lead to bile deposit in the liver and lead to liver failure in the long run.

Wilson’s Disease: Deposit of copper in the body could lead to liver failure due to copper deposit.

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: The problem starts from within the body. It happens when the immune system attacks the bile ducts. The immune system takes the bile ducts as foreign elements instead of native parts and attacks them.

Liver Cirrhosis: It is a life-threatening disease because it is irreversible. The treatment available for the problem is a transplant. The damaged part has to be replaced with a new and healthy part. It happens when the liver sustains a problem for a long time.

For example, take Hepatitis B/C, excess copper, iron, and drugs in the liver. Sometimes the cause of the problem lies within the liver. It is called progressive scarring where the liver keeps replacing the normal cells with scar tissues. But the problem can be solved, if the disease can be checked in the initial stage.

Another problem with liver cirrhosis is that the disease can affect surrounding organs including kidneys and lungs. It is for this reason that a patient undergoing a transplant has to get all his medical exams done to ascertain the real cause of the liver problem and determine his fitness for the transplant.

Sclerosing Cholangitis: The problem involves the narrowing of bile ducts present in and outside of the liver. Also, the bile ducts get scarred.

Acute Liver Failure: It is a rapid deterioration of the liver due to acute infection with hepatitis A/E or an overdose of acetaminophen. The liver is damaged completely requiring a transplant.

Liver Cancer: It is also one of the common liver diseases. It involves the development of cancerous cells in the liver. It is an end-stage disease that can be cured only with a transplant.

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When Should You See A Liver Transplant Surgeon?

The liver is the largest of the internal organs. It does complex functions including digesting food and ridding the body of toxic substances. Since these are essential functions for a healthy body, you need to be careful about problems affecting the liver and see a liver transplant surgeon.

 Common liver problems

 Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: The problem arises due to a faulty immune system. The immune system attacks the bile ducts considering them harmful foreign elements. In other words, the immune system fails to recognize them as native organs of the body.

 Hepatitis B/C: It is a viral infection that requires quick attention because even a slight delay in getting treatment could lead to failure of the liver. If you have nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain, you should see a liver transplant surgeon as you could have a hepatitis infection.

 Biliary Artesia: It is bile duct malformation leading to the accumulation of bile in the liver itself. The affected liver fails to transport bile to the gall bladder or intestine and bile continues to accumulate in the liver. If left untreated, it could lead to liver failure and require a transplant.

 Wilson’s Disease: The liver absorbs copper needed for your body and the excess copper is flushed out. But an affected liver fails to remove copper leading to Wilson’s disease. If you have muscle stiffness, problems with speech, or yellowing of the skin, you should see a liver transplant surgeon.

 Sclerosing Cholangitis: The problem involves the narrowing and scarring of bile ducts in and out of the liver. The bile ducts get inflamed and inflammation scars the ducts. This disease progresses slowly but could lead to liver failure and require a transplant. See a doctor if you have itching, fatigue, jaundice, and abdominal pain.  

 Liver Cancer: When the liver gets affected by cancerous cells, the spoiled part has to be removed to save the healthy liver. But it has to be early otherwise cancer could spread to the surrounding organs. You should see a liver transplant surgeon at the earliest.

 Acute Liver Failure: This condition develops due to an infection with hepatitis A/E, a toxic element, or an overdose of medicine. It involves a rapid deterioration of liver functions leading to failure.

 Final Thoughts

 Monitor your liver function and see a liver transplant surgeon as soon as you notice even a slight change in the liver function. It could be due to a problem and the problem could become serious if it is left untreated.

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How To Start Your Liver Cirrhosis Treatment?

If you are diagnosed with cirrhosis, it means that you have a medical condition that involves scar tissue gradually replacing healthy liver cells. It causes due to long-term infection or alcohol abuse and liver cirrhosis treatment involves minimizing possible damage by treating the underlying cause.

Treatment for alcohol dependency: If the problem is due to alcohol abuse, your doctor will suggest a treatment program for controlling alcohol addiction.

Weight loss: If it is due to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a weight loss program coupled with blood sugar treatment could help in controlling cirrhosis.

Hepatitis: If it is a viral infection like hepatitis B or C, you will be prescribed medicines to prevent further damage to your liver.

Other causes: Medicines can help prevent damage from causes like biliary cirrhosis. Medication can significantly delay further damage if the problem is diagnosed at an early stage.

Liver cirrhosis treatment also includes nutritional supplements prescribed to counter malnutrition associated with the disease. It also helps prevent osteoporosis (weak bones). Medicines are also prescribed to relieve symptoms like itching, fatigue, and pain.

Treatment for complications

Depending on your health and progression of cirrhosis, your doctor will treat complications of the disease. The complications can vary in severity from person to person.

Fluid buildup: A low-sodium diet and medications will prevent the buildup of fluid in your body. In case, the buildup is severe, the excess fluid will be drained to relieve the pressure.

Portal hypertension: Medicines prescribed to control blood pressure could help prevent severe bleeding in the veins that carry blood to the liver. Your doctor will conduct upper endoscopy at regular intervals to monitor your veins.

Infections: You will be on antibiotics to treat infections. Also, your doctor will suggest a vaccination for pneumonia and hepatitis.

Hepatic encephalopathy: Poor liver function could lead to a buildup of toxins in your blood. But it can be controlled with medicines.

Increased liver cancer risk: Your surgeon will suggest tests for detecting liver cancer at periodic intervals. Signs of cancer could be detected in blood tests and ultrasound exams.

Liver transplant surgery

In advanced cirrhosis cases where the liver stops functioning, the patient requires a transplant. And it could be a healthy liver from a deceased donor or part of a healthy liver from a living donor. What kind of liver cirrhosis treatment you need depends on your overall health and the progression of the disease. But early detection can save your life.

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