Painless, non-evasive ways to treat fatty liver

Fatty liver has been defined as accumulation of fat in the liver in the absence of recent or ongoing intake of significant amount of alcohol, and has emerged as a major liver problem worldwide.

What is fatty liver?

Fatty liver is divided into alcoholic fatty liver and nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD).The prevalence of NAFLD is estimated to be 15%–46% in western countries and 8%–40% in Asian countries. The prevalence of fatty liver varies from 20 to 35 % across all part of India. Thus it is a major health burden.

Causes of fatty liver include, chronic alcoholism, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, genetic inheritance, rapid weight loss and medication. Fatty liver typically has no associated symptoms. You may experience fatigue or vague abdominal discomfort. Your liver may become slightly enlarged, and your doctor can detect this during a physical examination. Patients who are chronic alcoholics or have diabetes, hyperlipidemia, polycystic ovarian disease, obesity, abnormal liver function test should visit

FIBROSCAN OR FIBROTOUCH IS IS A PAINLESS, NON-INVASIVE TEST USED TO ESTIMATE THE DEGREE OF FATTY INFILTRATION IN THE LIVER

gastroenterologist to diagnose fatty liver.

What are the health risks of fatty liver?

Patients with fatty liver are at an increased risk of liver related morbidity and mortality, diabetes and cardiovascular risk. Fatty liver may leads to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis after 10 to 15 years. A healthy liver turns into fatty liver with deposits of fat, leading to liver enlargement. It then progresses to liver fibrosis when the scar tissues form, finally leading to cirrhosis with the growth of connective tissue that destroys liver cells. However, one can check the extent of fatty liver with fibroscan and fibrotouch.

Why fibroscan or fibrotouch?

It is the painless, non-invasive test to estimate the degree of fatty infiltration and to assess the degree of fibrosis in the liver. Fibroscan has ability to survey the complete spectrum of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), from simple and benign fat infiltration to Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), to full-blown liver cirrhosis. Early fatty liver disease is reversible with dietary changes and exercise, but as fibrosis sets in, the liver disease becomes more serious and progressively irreversible. The Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at W Pratiksha

Hospital is equipped with advanced technology and facilities like, capsule endoscopy, Colonoscopy EUS, ERCP, Fibroscan, Manometry and Biofeedback. Dr. Atul Sharma, head and senior consultant, gastroenterology and hepatology and Dr. Rajesh Padhan, senior consultant, treat patients here.

PHOTO: HTCS/SHUTTERSTOCK