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What Does A Fatty Liver Indicate?
Question: what does it mean to have fatty liver
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Fatty liver is when normal liver cells which do the work of metabolism, cleaning out toxins, processing medications, etc, are replaced with fat. This process can be due to drinking alcohol, diabetes, or eating too much carbohydrates (starches and sugars such as bread, pasta, food and drinks with sugars).
There is a spectrum of how mild or severe fatty liver is. Fatty liver causes inflammation in the liver which, on a blood test measuring liver enzymes, shows an elevation in these enzymes. That is because the liver cells are inflamed and release certain enzymes.
In severe situation, the damage can result in scarring (cirrhosis) and the liver tissue will not function there.
Treatment depends on the cause of the fatty liver. Alcohol consumption should be stopped, and decreasing carbohydrates and weight (if overweight) is recommended.
Monitoring the liver function with liver enzyme blood tests, and the liver with ultrasound (and if abnormal, possibly an MRI) is usually what is done unless the fatty liver disease is very mild.
I hope this answers what you are wondering about.
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Fatty liver is when normal liver cells which do the work of metabolism, cleaning out toxins, processing medications, etc, are replaced with fat. This process can be due to drinking alcohol, diabetes, or eating too much carbohydrates (starches and sugars such as bread, pasta, food and drinks with sugars).
There is a spectrum of how mild or severe fatty liver is. Fatty liver causes inflammation in the liver which, on a blood test measuring liver enzymes, shows an elevation in these enzymes. That is because the liver cells are inflamed and release certain enzymes.
In severe situation, the damage can result in scarring (cirrhosis) and the liver tissue will not function there.
Treatment depends on the cause of the fatty liver. Alcohol consumption should be stopped, and decreasing carbohydrates and weight (if overweight) is recommended.
Monitoring the liver function with liver enzyme blood tests, and the liver with ultrasound (and if abnormal, possibly an MRI) is usually what is done unless the fatty liver disease is very mild.
I hope this answers what you are wondering about.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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