How is fatty liver diagnosed?
Fatty liver is often suspected in people with abnormal liver function test results, such as elevated liver enzymes.
Fatty liver can be detected by ultrasound, CT scan or MRI. Additionally, a liver biopsy may be performed to confirm the diagnosis and assess the severity of the disease.
Depending on the biopsy results, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be classified as non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
NAFL is fatty liver without signs of inflammation. This stage is characterized by large fat droplets inside liver cells, causing the liver to appear large, soft, yellow, and oily.
On the other hand, NASH is fatty liver and inflammation, accompanied by hepatocellular damage, leading to additional histopathological changes, such as enlarged hepatocytes and the presence of Mallory-Denk bodies (i.e. tangled intermediate filaments are visible in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes).
How is fatty liver disease treated?
Treatment for fatty liver disease depends on the cause of the condition. In people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, treatment focuses on reversing risk factors that contribute to insulin resistance, primarily through a healthy diet, an active lifestyle, and weight loss. and use hypoglycemic drugs.
Treatment for alcoholic fatty liver disease includes eliminating alcohol consumption. By simply addressing these underlying causes, low-grade steatosis and steatohepatitis can often be reversed.
In addition, high risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia also need attention.
