There can be many abnormalities in the human liver, but the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common. This condition has seen a recent rise of up to 25% in western nations. This raises many concerns about one of the most important organs of your body, and you must strive to gather relevant information about it.
There are also many complaints regarding nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). So a question might arise in your head, what is NASH?
NASH occurs when extra fat causes inflammation and swelling in the liver. In some cases, it can lead to liver cancer. Up to 2030, it is anticipated that the number of NASH patients with advanced fibrosis will more than double. Different modeling approaches have yielded comparable but slightly more conservative calculations, verifying the clinical issue’s magnitude.
NAFLD and NASH go hand-in-hand. So, every time a human encounters a difficulty, the researchers stay vigilant to find appropriate solutions to those problems. The same holds true for NAFLD. As this disease is growing, there are options to get tested for this problem.
1. People At Risk
The specific cause of fatty liver disease is unknown to healthcare professionals, but they believe that the most typical cause is obesity. In the last ten years, obesity in the United States has risen, and fatty liver disease is steadily increasing, according to medical professionals. Fatty liver disease can affect children and young adults, although it strikes most frequently in middle life.
Things that you should be aware of are:
- Overweight
- Diabetes
- Blood pressure
- High blood fat levels
2. Advanced Testing for NAFLD
Testing is typically advised for those who are overweight and whose blood tests reveal high liver enzyme levels. This suggests a potential liver inflammation because the majority of patients with NAFLD have no symptoms.
The diagnosis is made after ruling out additional causes of liver inflammation. Hence testing serves the dual purposes of determining the extent of liver inflammation and ruling out other causes, such as gallstones or viral infections.
Testing for NAFLD is not advised in individuals without any preexisting conditions or symptoms of liver inflammation. This is due to the extremely low likelihood of finding NAFLD and the potential risk of discovering abnormalities that ultimately turn out to be unimportant but could result in unnecessary tests and potentially harmful interventions being performed.
There are three primary tests that are performed to diagnose NAFLD.
- Blood test (it is helpful to determine the inflammation of the liver)
- CT scans & MRI to have the images of the liver
- Transient Elastography (an ultra-sound-based test that helps to determine the fats in the liver. If there is an extensive amount of fat that leads to NASH, this test won’t be reliable)
3. Treatment for NAFLD
If you are diagnosed with NAFLD but not suffering from any other disease, you can do your own treatment. You just need to make some changes to your lifestyle, including your eating habits, because it is important to understand that you must keep your weight in check.
It is essential to reverse the fat buildup in your body, as it is the primary cause of NAFLD.
Also, try to manage cholesterol and triglycerides. This can be done by eliminating fats. Besides this, you must add fiber and protein to your diet. You must also exercise – for instance, go for a regular walk.
Last, if you are into smoking and drinking, you must give up. This should be done on an immediate basis to prolong your life.
Apart from this, if you’re suffering from NASH, unfortunately, there isn’t any medication available to reverse the fat increase in the liver. The damage to the liver occasionally stops or even reverses. However, in some people, the condition worsens. Therefore, managing any illnesses that could exacerbate fatty liver disease is crucial if you have NASH.
However, some drugs are being researched as potential NASH therapies. Antioxidants like vitamin E are among them. Additionally, researchers are looking into new diabetic treatments for NASH that might be administered to people without diabetes.
Nevertheless, you must seek the advice of a liver specialist before using these medications, as there could be some complications. In addition, finding the right medication can be challenging because the liver is not in its ideal condition.
Things to keep in check
There are few options to cure this fatal problem, which can even lead to cancer. So, why not opt to change your lifestyle?
You can do a complete body scan with a fibrosis test and keep everything in check and balanced. Then, you will find it easier to change your habits based on the suggestions mentioned above.