What is fatty liver?
The liver is one of the most important organs of the human body as it is responsible for metabolizing fats and eliminating toxins. If it doesn’t work properly, it can’t process fats completely and begins to accumulate them, causing what’s called “fatty liver.”
Fatty liver is a silent diseaseas it is often asymptomatic and, if not diagnosed early, can lead to liver cirrhosis or cancer.
Fatty liver is a very common disease
Fatty liver occurs when a lot of fat accumulates in liver cells. Although it is normal to have some fat in these cells, those that contain more than 5% fat are considered fatty.
It is a fairly common disease among the population, especially in developed countries, as it affects about 25% of people worldwide. It is considered one of the most common liver diseases..
This does not mean that this is a mild disease; in fact, its consequences can be quite serious. When we talk about fatty liver disease, there are two main types.
Types of fatty liver
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It may be a simple type in which fat is present but there is little or no inflammation or damage to the cells of that organ. As a rule, this does not cause damage or complications to the organ.. On the contrary, it can also be liver steatosis, in which case inflammation and damage to liver cells occurs, which can cause fibrosis or scarring of the liver.
Types of fatty liver
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease. This type is caused by excessive alcohol consumption. One of the tasks of this organ is to break down ingested alcohol and remove it from the body.. But this process generates substances that can damage liver cells, cause inflammation and weaken the body’s natural defenses. Therefore, the more alcohol consumed, the more damage is done to the liver.. This type is the earliest stage of alcoholic liver disease and can lead to alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, a disease that causes irreversible liver damage.
Mild liver symptoms
The big problem with fatty liver is the lack of symptoms.. Although it is true that our body sends some signals that can help us detect it in time. Among the most common are pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, general malaise, fatigue and fatigue, and in some cases, jaundice.
In addition to these signs, which are not very specific, You should always be aware of the most common risk factors.. Among them are:
- Excess weight and/or poor diet.
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus and other diseases characterized by insulin resistance.
- High cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.
- Excessively rapid weight loss.
- intestinal diseases.
- Age is also considered a risk factor, with people in middle age and older having a higher risk.
- Treatment with certain medications, such as corticosteroids and some anticancer drugs.