Liver disease: NHS Doctor talks about link with alcohol
Having high levels of fat in your liver presents grave health risks and many of these risks fall under the fatty liver disease umbrella. Fatty liver disease is linked to a host of health conditions, such as obesity and high blood pressure. The condition is characterised by a number of stages and symptoms are mostly associated with the advanced stage.
According to the British Liver Trust (BTL), most people with mild fatty liver disease are unlikely to notice any symptoms.
For those who go on to develop NASH – a more significant condition that may cause scarring to the liver, and can progress to cirrhosis – serious symptoms may surface, warns the BTL.
Patients with a liver condition who start vomiting blood (haematemesis) should seek urgent medical attention, advises the health body.
“Internal bleeding due to liver damage is often first noticed in very dark or black tarry faeces (malena) and the vomiting of blood (haematemesis),” it warns.
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Other serious signs include:
- Yellowness of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
- Bruising easily
This is a type of scan where sound waves are used to create an image of the inside of your body.
How is the condition treated?
There’s currently no specific medication for fatty liver disease, there’s lots of research going on to try to find a treatment.
Short of a treatment, making healthy lifestyle choices can help to stop symptoms getting worse.
One of the most effective countermeasures against fatty liver disease is losing weight.
- Dark urine
- Swelling of the lower tummy area (ascites)
- Dark black tarry faeces (melena)
- Periods of confusion or poor memory (encephalopathy)
- Itching skin (pruritus).
How is fatty liver disease diagnosed?
The NHS explains: “NAFLD is often diagnosed after a blood test called a liver function test produces an abnormal result and other liver conditions, such as hepatitis, are ruled out.”
But, as the health body points out, blood tests do not always pick up fatty liver disease.
“The condition may also be spotted during an ultrasound scan of your tummy,” explains the health body.
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This is a type of scan where sound waves are used to create an image of the inside of your body.
How is the condition treated?
There’s currently no specific medication for fatty liver disease, there’s lots of research going on to try to find a treatment.
Short of a treatment, making healthy lifestyle choices can help to stop symptoms getting worse.
One of the most effective countermeasures against fatty liver disease is losing weight.
“This can reverse some of the build-up of fat and even some of the fibrosis in your liver,” explains Bupa.
Regular exercise can help you to lose any excess weight you may have.
“It may also help to reduce damage to your liver even if you don’t successfully lose any weight,” says Bupa.
If you have NAFLD, you should aim to eat a healthy, balanced diet, adds the health body.
Key dietary tips include:
- Choose wholegrain carbohydrates (such as breads, rice and pasta) which are high in fibre.
- Avoid food and drinks that are high in sugar.
- Eat more vegetables and fruit.
- Eat less saturated fat. Replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. This may help reduce your risk of heart disease which can be linked to NAFLD.
- Monitor your portion sizes, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.
Some studies suggest that the Mediterranean diet may also decrease the fat in the liver.
This nutrition plan emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, replacing butter with olive or canola oil, limiting red meat, and eating more fish and lean poultry.
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