Is fatty liver serious?

Written by Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 10, 2024
00:00
00:00

Is fatty liver serious? There are many causes of fatty liver, including obesity, medications, alcohol consumption, toxins, and malnutrition, all of which can lead to fatty liver. Generally, mild fatty liver can be reversed through proper diet and exercise. However, reversing severe fatty liver can be very difficult and challenging. At this time, patients need to have enduring stamina and confidence to cure fatty liver. The main approach is to strictly control the diet with low salt and low fat, avoiding greasy foods. Additionally, appropriate exercise is very important for eliminating fatty liver. Treating fatty liver cannot rely solely on medications, as this addresses the symptoms but not the root cause. Exercise is essential.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
48sec home-news-image

Can mild fatty liver heal itself?

Mild fatty liver does not require medication and may return to normal through dietary adjustments or changes in lifestyle habits. For mild fatty liver, the diet should primarily be light and avoid greasy, rich foods, as well as fried or grilled items, and foods high in cholesterol like egg yolks, animal organs, and seafood. Additionally, increasing physical activity can enhance metabolism, which is beneficial for the recovery from fatty liver. Furthermore, it is important to avoid excessive fatigue and staying up late, as both can exacerbate fatty liver. Keeping a relaxed mood and avoiding excessive anxiety or depression is also crucial, as worry and stress can also damage the liver.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
51sec home-news-image

The Harm of Fatty Liver

There are many causes of fatty liver disease, and the degree of harm varies according to the different causes. Non-alcoholic fatty liver is closely related to metabolic syndrome and often occurs in diseases such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. It can easily lead to reduced arterial elasticity and increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, or sudden death. Fatty liver can also exacerbate liver damage. Long-term fatty liver may lead to liver fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis. If combined with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C, the progression to liver fibrosis may accelerate.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
1min 2sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of fatty liver? Is fatty liver serious?

If you have fatty liver disease, the symptoms are essentially the same as those of chronic hepatitis B and C, which include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, aversion to oily foods, and fatigue. Additionally, patients with fatty liver disease may experience a sensation of swelling and pain in the liver area. At this point, further liver function tests such as measuring transaminase and bilirubin levels can be conducted, and performing a hepatobiliary ultrasound can definitively diagnose the condition. If the fatty liver is due to obesity, it is advisable to strictly control food intake and engage in active and reasonable exercise for weight loss, as fatty liver can be reversed. However, if the fatty liver is due to long-term excessive alcohol consumption, it is recommended to strictly quit smoking and drinking, combined with reasonable exercise and diet control, as fatty liver can also be reversed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Xue Qing
Gastroenterology
25sec home-news-image

What foods should people with fatty liver avoid?

People with fatty liver should avoid overly greasy foods such as fatty meat, pig trotters, braised chicken, and braised duck. It is also important not to consume too much meat or foods high in sugar. Excessive intake of meat and sugar can be converted into fat and stored in the body, leading to high levels of fat. Therefore, control is also needed over the consumption of meat and fruits or foods that are high in sugar.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
45sec home-news-image

Fatty liver MRI manifestations

Fatty liver, also known as hepatic steatosis, typically appears normal in most cases on MRI. However, a minority of cases may show high signals on T1 and T2. In fat-suppressed sequences, the high signals disappear after the fat is suppressed, appearing as low signal shadows. MRI has a specific sequence for examining fatty liver, known as the dual-echo sequence, which includes two sequences: one is the in-phase sequence and the other is called the opposed-phase sequence. The in-phase sequence examines the liver parenchyma, while a characteristic feature in the opposed-phase sequence is the significant decrease in signal in areas of fatty metamorphosis.