Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

 

It is a disease caused by the accumulation of more than normal fat in the liver, in this disease the cause of excessive fat accumulation in the liver is not alcohol.


One of the variants of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is NASH. NASH siroza ilerleyebilen bir hastalık olduğundan çok daha önemlidir.

What is NASH?

More than normal fat accumulation in the liver can be seen alone or together with inflammation (inflammation). If fatty liver is accompanied by inflammation, this disease is called NASH. NASH is actually the severe type of fatty liver disease. The name NASH is given by using the initials of the words Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis. 'Steato' means fat, and 'hepatitis' means inflammation of the liver. In NASH disease, fat in your liver and hepatitis are associated with liver cell damage, which can lead to the formation of scar tissue in the liver, which we call fibrosis, over time. In NASH disease, cirrhosis occurs when this scar increases in parallel with the damage over the years. NASH is therefore a disease that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

What are the symptoms of fatty liver disease?

Fatty liver disease or NASH usually causes no symptoms. Rarely, it may cause weakness, feeling unwell, restlessness, fullness or mild pain in the upper right part of the abdomen. The cause of the pain here is the enlargement of the liver with excessive accumulation of fat in the liver, stretching the liver capsule. Symptoms usually appear years after cirrhosis develops, so NASH is considered an insidious disease. In advanced stages of cirrhosis, symptoms such as swelling, enlargement of the spleen, yellowing of the eyes, redness of the palms, shedding of chest hair in men and breast enlargement can be seen due to fluid accumulation in the abdomen.

Is fatty liver disease a serious disease?

Since fatty liver disease is a disease that can lead to cirrhosis, it is a disease that should definitely be taken seriously. Fortunately, we know that at least 80% of those with fatty liver do not develop any serious health problems. However, in 10-20% of cases, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of the disease, which occurs with inflammation of liver cells, may develop. NASH is more likely to occur in patients with fatty liver detected on ultrasound and elevated liver tests. NASH can lead to potentially fatal diseases such as irreversible liver damage, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. In the past, we could not find the cause of cirrhosis in a significant number of patients who were diagnosed with cirrhosis. Today, it has been understood that the most important cause of cirrhosis in these patients is fatty liver disease. If NASH has caused cirrhosis and cirrhosis has progressed to liver failure, a liver transplant may be needed to survive.