Fatty liver treatment in Ahmedabad
More and more patients are getting diagnosed with fatty liver and fatty liver, if not treated in time, can lead to serious complications. Fatty liver treatment in Ahmedabad is possible at most hospitals which have physicians, medical gastroenterologists and liver specialists.
What is fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver and it is also known as hepatic steatosis. We define fatty liver by excess fat deposition in liver which is not secondary to alcohol, certain medicines and certain hereditary disorders. It is commonly associated with diabetes mellitus, obesity and dyslipidemias like hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a broad term, encompassing a spectrum of fatty liver disease from fatty liver to steatohepatitis to liver cirrhosis. It is categorized in NAFL (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver) and NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis). NAFL is a condition where there is 5% or more fat deposition in liver without liver cell injury. NASH is a condition, characterized by 5% or more fat deposition in liver with inflammation and liver cell injury with or without fibrosis.
Magnitude of the problem
The incidence of fatty liver disease is rising in the general population worldwide and it is now one of the commonest causes of liver cirrhosis. NAFLD affects approx. 20-30% of general population worldwide and NASH affects approx. 1.5-6%. Sedentary lifestyle, increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus and unhealthy food habits have contributed to increasing incidence of fatty liver disease. In fact, NAFLD and NASH more often affects high-risk groups like people with obesity, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemias!
What are the complications of fatty liver?
Fatty liver disease is a progressive disease. With continuing injury to the liver, the NAFL stage progresses to NASH. With time, progressive fibrosis sets in, and NASH progresses to cirrhosis of liver. A cirrhotic liver is a fertile ground for developing liver cancers (hepatocellular carcinoma). A peculiar thing about NAFLD is that liver cancers can develop even in absence of cirrhosis in NAFLD.
How to diagnose fatty liver?
Blood investigations like liver function tests and imaging studies like abdominal ultrasound, fibroscan, MR Elastography (MRE) and CT scan for liver attenuation help in diagnosing fatty liver. Most of these patients may not have any symptoms in the initial stage of the disease. An abdominal ultrasound, done as a part of routine health check-up or for other indications and sometimes mild derangement of liver function tests may diagnose fatty liver in most instances. Fibroscan and MRE are very accurate to confirm the diagnosis of fatty liver.
How to prevent fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a lifestyle disease and lifestyle modifications can prevent fatty liver and keep liver healthy. Keeping the weight controlled by active lifestyle and avoiding unhealthy and junk foods goes a long way in keeping the liver healthy. Adding regular physical exercise in daily routine also helps in a big way to avoid fat deposition in liver.
How to treat fatty liver?
Fatty liver treatment is possible in most hospitals in Ahmedabad. The treatment requires guidance from liver specialists, diabetologist, dietician and physiotherapist. The treatment of fatty liver pivots on 3 things
- Weight loss by diet control and physical exercise
- Strict diabetes control in diabetic patients
- Treatment of dyslipidemias like hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia
Weight control is the key to treatment of fatty liver. Studies have found that higher the degree of weight loss, the better is the improvement in fatty liver. Even, 5-7% weight loss in a person causes marked improvement in fatty liver. Diet control (restricting the calorie intake) and physical exercise in any form help in reducing weight.
Strict diabetes control is very important in diabetic patients with NAFLD to prevent progression of the disease. Also, medical treatment of dyslipidemias is also imperative for control and reversal of NAFLD.
Once cirrhosis sets in, in NAFLD, the treatment is very much like other patients of liver cirrhosis and most of these patients will ultimately require a liver transplantation.
