What is fatty liver disease?
Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a certain kind of fat, specifically triglyceride, accumulates in the liver cells through a process called steatosis. Steatosis is the abnormal retention of lipids within a cell. There are two different kinds of FLD, alcoholic FLD and non-alcoholic FLD.
What causes fatty liver disease?
The main causes are excessive alcohol intake and people with obesity, high fat diet, diabetes mellitus or hereditary cholesterol issues.
What are the symptoms of fatty liver disease?
Most people do not show symptoms and tend to be asymptomatic. FLD is usually discovered accidentally by abnormal liver function tests or another medical condition.
How is fatty liver disease treated?
The cause needs to be identified first. Then a treatment plan will be based on whatever the cause steatosis is to help reverse it. A healthier lifestyle should be encouraged with dieting, exercise, good control of blood sugar, and cessation of excessive alcohol consumption.