Fibroscan

Fatty liver disease: detection and treatment

What is fatty liver disease?

Did you know your liver is the key organ that helps process cholesterol (fats) and some of its cells store fat droplets. However, when the liver sees too much fat, this ‘stresses’ the liver cells and immune cells passing through it and can give rise to fatty liver and subsequent liver damage. The liver at this stage begins to accumulate fat and a vicious cycle of fat accumulation and liver injury can follow.

It is a common condition, especially if you are obese, have insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, under-active thyroid or other hormonal conditions. In most cases it doesn’t cause serious problems, but in some people, it can lead to liver inflammation, and the development of scar tissue (‘fibrosis’) in the liver, which leads to liver damage.

To learn more about the two main types of fatty liver disease, please watch this video. It includes information about:

• Alcohol-induced fatty liver disease caused by heavy drinking
• Non-alcohol related fatty liver disease which occurs in people who are not heavy drinkers

Who gets fatty liver disease?

You have an increased chance of developing fatty liver disease if you have one, or more, of following:

• Overweight, particularly around your waist
• Prediabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure or high cholesterol
• At least two cardiometabolic risk factors [is there another way we can say this that people will easily understand]
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Hypogonadism (a deficiency in the amount of sex hormone your body produces)
• Hypothyroidism
• Alcohol dependence- where alcohol-based calories precipitates liver fat accumulation

Why test for it?

The most important reason to detect fatty liver is because it is associated with a range of other health risks, including diabetes, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and increased all-cause mortality.

The condition is also silent so you often won’t know whether you have it and how advanced it might be.

However, the good news is that we now have the technology to assess for this condition, using a highly effective ultrasound-type of technology called Fibroscan.

And there are ways to now treat fatty liver disease with dietary and lifestyle changes, and newer medications that are becoming available.