The slimmer a person, the stronger his confidence that such a thing as "obesity" will never touch him. The unpleasant consequences that overweight entails do not threaten if the weight is normal and the figure is beautiful. Why, then, at a routine examination, the diagnosis sounds: "Fatty hepatosis"? It's all about visceral (abdominal) fat, enveloping our internal organs. One of the main reasons for this condition is a genetic predisposition.
Fatty hepatosis (ZHBP, "fatty" liver, steatosis) is a pathological process in the liver, leading to the accumulation of fat droplets in hepatocytes and contributing to the complete degeneration of its parenchymal tissue into adipose tissue. Cirrhosis is the result of a fatty liver. How to treat this disease, what are its symptoms and diagnosis? The article provides detailed information that will help you find answers to all your questions on this topic.
Causes of fatty liver
This disease is divided intotwo types depending on the causes of its occurrence: ALD (alcoholic) and NAFLD (non-alcoholic). It can also be primary or secondary. The table below shows the main causes of a particular type of liver disease.
| Classifier | Type | Main causes of FLD |
| for the reason that triggered the development of the disease | ABP | - excessive drinking for a long time (there are cases of the disease developing in a short time) |
| NAGB |
- unbalanced diet (the predominance of unhe althy fats); - drug abuse (antibiotics, hormones); - hormonal disorders (for example, during pregnancy); - insulin resistance (as a result of obesity and hypertension); |
|
| according to the list of comorbidities and factors | primary hepatosis |
- obesity and/or diabetes; - violation of lipid metabolism |
| secondary hepatosis |
- taking drugs with a hepatotoxic effect; - heart failure; - oncology; - rapid weight loss; - chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (colitis, pancreatitis); - major surgery |
|
| by the nature of the course of the disease | spicy |
- poisoning with toxic substances (arsenic, fluorine, overdosedrugs, alcohol); - viral hepatitis; - sepsis |
| chronic |
- violation of lipid metabolism; - deficiency of protein, some minerals and vitamins; - alcoholism; |
|
| According to the severity of the disease | steatosis | Steatosis is stage I of ALD and NAFLD, causes listed above |
| steatohepatitis | Steatosis passes into stage II - steatohepatitis in the event that an inflammatory process joins the fatty infiltration | |
| fibrosis |
If treatment and prevention measures were not taken at stages I and II of the disease, then the disease progresses and leads to stage III - fibrosis. Risk factors are: - old age; - diabetes mellitus; - completeness (obesity); - ratio of activity of transaminases ASaT / ALAT > 1 |
|
| cirrhosis/liver cancer (rare) | Fibrosis is an irreversible change in liver tissue with a chronic course, which ultimately leads to stage IV - cirrhosis |
Unfavorable factors that can serve as an impetus to the development and further progression of the disease are:
- hypodynamia;
- stress;
- genetic predisposition;
- diets (implying starvation);
- bad environment.
Many reasons and factors can cause the development of such a disease as obesityliver. How to treat ZhBP will largely depend on the type, stage, severity of fatty liver.
Clinical manifestations of FLD
It is extremely important to diagnose early and start treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the disease is insidious - it is almost asymptomatic. There are only general signs that can also manifest themselves in many other ailments:
- fatigue;
- chronic fatigue (present even after sleep);
- weakness, lethargy, feeling of powerlessness.
There may be more obvious symptoms to look out for:
- heaviness (discomfort) and/or pain in the right hypochondrium;
- belching, bloating, nausea, heartburn;
- violation of the stool (change in consistency, smell, color);
- decreased appetite (no pleasure from eating);
- jaundice of the skin.
Due to a sedentary lifestyle, environmental conditions, semi-finished products that people are used to eating daily, a disease such as fatty liver has become a boom of the 21st century. Symptoms, treatment and prevention of fatty hepatosis are important information that a modern person should study in order not to become "every second" in the disappointing statistics on the incidence of this disease throughout the world.
Diagnosis of liver diseases
Prevention of fatty liver disease is easier to prevent than to treat, so if one or more symptoms appear, see a specialist. Usually this is a therapist, gastroenterologist,hepatologist. At the examination, you should tell the doctor what exactly worries you, what symptoms are present. The doctor will examine the skin, and also determine by palpation whether there is an enlarged liver. Diagnosis of the disease takes place in several stages. It will be necessary to pass standard tests: UAC, OAM, cal. The most informative methods are presented in the tables below.
| Indicators of a biochemical blood test | Norma |
| Total serum protein | 65-85g/l |
| Bilirubin total | below 3, 3-17, 2 µmol/l |
| Bilirubin direct | 0-3, 41 µmol/L |
| Bilirubin indirect | 3, 41-13, 6 µmol/L |
| Glucose | 4, 45-6, 37 mmol/L (adult) |
| Bile acids | 2, 4-6, 8 mmol/L |
| Fatty acids |
0.31-0.9 mmol/L (adult); more than 1.2 mmol/l (children and adults with varying degrees of obesity) |
| Blood lipids |
HDL (high density lipids): 1, 51-3, 4 g/l (adults) LDL (low density lipids): 3, 21-5, 5g/L |
| Aminotransferases (transaminases) |
ALAT: 0, 13-0, 87 MKC/L, 28-190 nmol/(s x l), 0, 1-0.67 µmol/(ml x h), 7-54 IU/L; ASAT: 0, 17-0, 77 MKC/L, 28-125 nmol/(s x l), 0, 1-0, 46µmol/(ml x h), 11-43 IU/L |
| Alkaline Phosphatase | 278-830 nmol/(s x l) |
| Cholesterol | less than 5.0-5.2 mmol/l |
There are also instrumental methods for examining the retroperitoneal space (spleen, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas): ultrasound, CT, MRI.
Normally, the liver and spleen are not enlarged. The thickness of the right lobe of the liver is 112-126 mm, the left is about 70 mm (adults). In children, the size of the liver depends on age, if at 1 year a thickness of 60 mm is the norm for the right lobe of the liver, the left is 33 mm, then by the age of 18 the figures are close to age norms. The contours are clear and even, the structure is homogeneous, echogenicity should not be increased or decreased. Normally, the size of the common bile duct is 6-8 mm, the portal vein is up to 13 mm, and the diameter of the vena cava is up to 15 mm.
Of all possible methods, a liver biopsy is the most effective way to make a correct diagnosis.
Treatment and prognosis for patients with FAD
Although the treatment of grade I-II fatty liver is a long and laborious process, the prognosis for such patients is favorable. In the stage of fibrosis, everything depends on its degree and on how the body reacts to drug treatment, whether there is a positive trend. End-stage cirrhosis requires liver transplantation. This type of operation is the most expensive in the world. The prognosis for such people depends on material factors andcharacteristics of the body (post-rehabilitation period).
What is included in the treatment of fatty hepatosis? Fatty liver requires a number of complex measures: from changing diet and lifestyle to the use of drug therapy.
If liver problems have begun, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules all your life, which should also be observed for the prevention of fatty hepatosis:
- diet (usually table number 5);
- sports (moderate exercise);
- maintaining weight within the normal range, with obesity, it is necessary to find the cause of metabolic disorders, to establish metabolic processes;
- adhere to the correct regime of work and rest;
- take medication prescribed by a doctor to maintain and restore liver cells (hepatoprotectors, lipoic acid, B vitamins).
If ALD is in an acute form, it is enough to stop drinking alcohol - with maintenance therapy, the liver is capable of rapid recovery. NAFLD requires treatment of the underlying disease or elimination of adverse factors (depending on what was the root cause).
Unconventional treatments for "fatty" liver
If you do not want to resort to medication, how to treat fatty liver? Folk remedies will help get rid of the disease. It is worth remembering that in alternative medicine there are contraindications, so you should always consult a doctor.
There are many herbal medicine recipes for treating fatty liver, here are some of the most effective:
- You should take 2 parts of the following ingredients: birch buds, nettle leaves, lungwort herbs, sweet clover. 3 parts of raspberry leaves and licorice root. 1 part each of dill and skullcap root. The resulting collection must be crushed. After that, pour 2 tbsp. l. in a thermos and pour 1/2 liter of boiling water, stand until the morning. Take 0.5 cup up to 4 times a day for several months. After taking a break for 2 weeks, brew a fresh collection and repeat the treatment.
- 2 tbsp. l. crushed mint leaves pour 150 grams of boiling water. Leave the broth until morning, then divide into 3 equal parts and drink a day; in the evening, pour 50 g of dried rose hips into a thermos and pour 1/2 liter of boiling water. Let the broth brew until morning. Drink 200 g of decoction 3 times a day. In the same way, corn stigmas can be brewed. Such recipes are well suited for strengthening liver hepatocytes.
In order for the treatment to be effective, it is advisable to cleanse the entire body of toxins and toxins before it begins. In folk medicine, there are many recipes for a "soft" cleansing of the liver.
Prevention of fatty hepatosis
If you force yourself to take some kind of preventive measures, you can hardly achieve a positive result. It should not be "through force", "sometimes", but become a way of life. Only then will prevention and treatment be a pleasure.
Behind notthe most pleasant, but necessary topic: "Fatty liver: treatment, symptoms." Diet is what should be given the most attention in the prevention of FAD.
It is necessary to reduce the intake of animal fats by increasing the intake of vegetable fats. Avoid easily digestible carbohydrates such as sugar. Eat foods rich in fiber - they contribute to rapid satiety and are less caloric. You should not completely abandon meat, it is important to avoid eating unhe althy fats. To do this, you should eat low-fat, dietary meat products. Eating should be fractional 5-6 times a day, chewing thoroughly. By following simple rules, you can avoid such a diagnosis as fatty liver. How to treat fatty hepatosis, what preventive measures to apply? These questions will never arise if you lead the right lifestyle.
The liver is the largest digestive gland in the body. It performs functions on which human life and he alth depend. Processes toxins and promotes their elimination, accumulates useful substances necessary to replenish vital energy - and this is not all that this miracle organ does to support vital activity.
The liver is unique in its ability to regenerate. Restoration of the previous volume is possible even if 3/4 of the liver tissue is destroyed. Such a strong, until the last, not declaring itself liver still needs our careful attitude towards it. He althy lifestyle (sports, proper nutrition, work and rest regimen) anda medical examination (at least once a year) is the key to longevity, a way to avoid many diseases and their negative consequences.
