Fatty Liver Disease Symptoms

What Is Fatty Liver Disease?

Steatosis, commonly known as fatty liver disease, is a common medical condition that occurs when there is too much buildup of fat in the liver [¹]. Healthy livers only contain less than 5% of fat. If the fat is between 5-10% of the total weight of the liver, it can cause medical problems for the patient.

While most people with fatty liver disease can lead a normal life with some changes in lifestyle, it can be harder to treat the disease if it progresses to the later stages of severity. Hence, it is important to take a look at fatty liver disease symptoms if you have a family history of the disease or consume more alcohol.

Types of Fatty Liver Disease

There are two main types of fatty liver diseases: non-alcohol-related and alcohol-related.

Non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is found among patients who don’t drink heavily. It can affect 1 in 10 children and 1 in 3 adults [²]. There are two forms of NAFLD. Simple fatty liver disease is where the fat persists in the liver but doesn’t create any inflammation or damage to the liver cells. They usually don’t cause complications. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, also called NASH, is where the fat can create damage to the liver and inflammation. It might cause scarring or fibrosis of the liver, even leading to liver cancer or cirrhosis.

Alcohol-related liver disease occurs when a patient consumes heavy amounts of alcohol for prolonged periods. The liver is the main organ that breaks down the alcohol in the body so that it can be removed from the body. However, breaking down alcohol can create harmful substances too, which can produce inflammation, weaken the immune system, and damage the cells in the liver. The greater the consumption of alcohol, the more damage received by the liver. Fatty liver disease is only the first step towards worse liver diseases like cirrhosis and alcohol hepatitis.

How Is Fatty Liver Disease Diagnosed?

Fatty liver disease doesn’t cause many obvious symptoms; hence, it is usually diagnosed through routine checkups and blood tests [⁴].

Here are some tests that might be prescribed if the doctor suspects fatty liver disease:

Blood tests
Ultrasound
CT scan
MRI scan
Elastography
Biopsy

If there is fat present in the liver but no damage to the tissue or inflammation, it is diagnosed as NAFLD. If you have damage and inflammation, it is NASH. If you have fibrosis, you might be checked for cirrhosis.

Fatty Liver Disease Staging

Fatty liver disease is categorized into four stages [⁵]:

Steatosis or simple fatty liver: There is no damage to the liver tissue or inflammation. Only 20% move on to the next stage of fatty liver disease.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: There is a buildup of fat, but it comes with damage to liver tissue or inflammation.
Fibrosis: When the damage to the tissue increase, the liver cannot heal itself quickly enough to repair the damage. This results in scars on the blood vessels and tissue.
Cirrhosis: The damage to the liver is so severe that it might stop working correctly.

Is Fatty Liver Disease Hereditary?

It is hereditary.

There is an increase in the risk of NAFLD if you have a family history of fatty liver disease. However, the pattern for inheritance isn’t known yet, even though research into it continues [⁷]. There might be several genes to blame, but environmental and lifestyle factors are mostly responsible for increased risk.

Fatty Liver Disease Symptoms

It can be hard to diagnose fatty liver disease since the symptoms do not appear until it has progressed to fibrosis or cirrhosis. Mostly, early fatty liver disease diagnosis takes place through routine checkups and blood tests.

However, if you consume a lot of alcohol or have an increased risk for fatty liver disease, keep the following symptoms and signs in mind.

What Are the Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease?

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease could include [⁸]:

White of eyes and skin turning yellow
Swollen legs or abdomen
Weakness
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Extreme tiredness
Feeling of fullness in the belly

What Are Some Signs of Fatty Liver Disease?

As mentioned, signs refer to clinical manifestations, something that could be noticed during medical tests or examinations. Some early signs of Fatty Liver Disease could include [⁹]:

Jaundice
Edema
Fatigue
Unexplained weight loss
Mental confusion
Abdominal pain
Red palms
Enlarged spleen or blood vessels
High blood pressure in the liver
Enlarged liver

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease in Women Vs. Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease in Men*

The severity and prevalence of NAFLD are lower for women than men during reproductive ages. After menopause, it can occur at higher rates among women since estrogen might be a protective hormone.

*Note that here, we are using the terms “women” and “men” to refer to female and male biological sex at birth, respectively.

Risk Factors for Fatty Liver Disease

The risk for the fatty liver disease doesn’t necessarily mean that you will end up getting the disease; it just means you are more likely to get it over time.

Here are the risk factors for fatty liver disease [¹²]:

Excess calorie consumption
Obesity
History of diabetes
Increased alcohol consumption
Elevated levels of triglyceride
Are of Asian or Hispanic descent [¹³]
History of high blood pressure
Have had menopause
Are a man
History of obstructive sleep apnea
History of metabolic syndrome

Fatty Liver Disease Prevention

There are a few ways to reduce the risk of fatty liver disease as well as reduce its chances of progressing to worse stages. They are listed below [¹⁴]:

Exercising regularly
Staying within healthy BMI.
Limiting alcohol intake

Fatty Liver Disease Prognosis and Treatment

The prognosis for Fatty Liver Disease is highly dependent on the stage and type of Fatty Liver Disease. In general, Fatty Liver Disease caught at earlier stages have a better outlook. If the disease has increased in severity to fibrosis and cirrhosis, treatment is more difficult, but it is important to maintain hope.

Fatty Liver Disease Survival Rate

It has been found that 30% of patients with fatty liver disease can live a normal life without getting any complications or symptoms of the disease [¹⁵]. People can continue to stay healthy with normal routines. The life expectancy of the disease can decrease by a few years if they develop other chronic illnesses like diabetes or cardiovascular issues.

Ensuring regular or proper follow-up is necessary to increase the survival rate and manage treatments. By following a healthy lifestyle, you can decrease the risk of worse stages of liver disease.

Fatty Liver Disease Treatment Options

The first step of treatment is usually achieving some level of weight loss to get into a healthier BMI scale. It can include lifestyle changes of a healthier diet and increased physical activity [¹⁶]. For people with an increased stage of fatty liver disease, such as cirrhosis, one option is a liver transplant.

It has been found that resistance or aerobic exercise can reduce the amount of fat around and in the liver. Make sure to exercise around three times per week for at least 45 minutes [¹⁷]. Studies also show that Mediterranean diets can help improve the quality of life for people with fatty liver disease.

You can include the following foods in your diet to stay healthy:

Whole grains
Seafood, especially fish
Fruits
Olive oil
Nuts
Avocadoes
Fresh vegetables
Legumes

Here are the foods that you should definitely stay away from to reduce the risk of fatty liver disease:

Red meat
Full-fat dairy products like cheese
Fried foods
Baked goods
Poultry
Sugary items

Conclusion

Takeaway

Fatty liver disease is a common medical condition that affects a lot of people. However, it is important to make sure that the severity of the disease doesn’t progress since it can result in serious health complications.

If you have a family history of liver diseases or consume a lot of alcohol, make sure to get routine checkups and blood tests for an early diagnosis. It is important to consider making healthier food choices and doing regular exercise.