Fatty liver can be caused by many factors including diet, drinking too much alcohol, metabolic diseases, or nutritional disorders. The disease can cause many unpleasant symptoms such as people always feel tired, exhausted, vomiting and jaundice at different levels.
Below are some groups susceptible to fatty liver, according to doctors at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital (HCMC):
- Obese people : Fatty liver is directly caused by diet, so this is a disease that can occur in everyone. Especially in obese people because subcutaneous fat tissue breaks down fat, causing fat to accumulate in the liver.
- Alcoholics : Alcoholics are at high risk of fatty liver disease, because alcohol is metabolized by the liver, hindering the process of breaking down and metabolizing fatty acids.
Fatty liver disease is becoming more and more common (Illustration: Istock).
- Elderly : The older you get, the more your body's metabolic functions and metabolism decline, leading to less movement and an increased risk of fat accumulation. Therefore, the elderly face a higher risk of fatty liver.
- Sedentary people : Little or no exercise will cause excess nutrients in the body to be converted into fat, stored under the skin causing obesity, and fat will also be stored in the liver causing fatty liver.
- People with poor nutrition and protein deficiency : This condition leads to reduced synthesis of low-density lipoprotein (fat-transporting protein), which causes problems in the liver when transporting triglycerides, leading to fat accumulating in the liver and causing disease.
- Frequent fasting : This also increases the risk of fatty liver. Many people think that fatty liver is caused by obesity and that to reduce the disease, they need to fast. This is a misconception that causes many dangerous consequences.
Frequent fasting leads to low blood sugar levels, fatty acids in liver tissue are transported into the blood causing high levels of free fatty acids in the blood, this condition can lead to fat storage in the liver.
- People who like to eat fast food : Busy life, the habit of using fast food, fried food containing a lot of oil increases the burden on the liver. At the same time, it increases the absorption and synthesis of fat in the liver, thereby increasing the risk of fat accumulation in the liver and causing fatty liver disease.
- People with hepatitis : If not detected and lifestyle adjusted properly, the disease can develop into fatty liver.
Symptoms of fatty liver disease are often subtle or unclear. Patients only discover the disease by chance during a liver ultrasound or for some other reason.
When there is too much fat in the liver, it will cause hepatitis. At that time, the main symptoms will be loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain or severe fatigue and jaundice.
According to Healthline , too much fat accumulates in the liver, causing it to become swollen and inflamed. This inflammation can lead to cirrhosis, which can cause permanent liver damage.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease often does not cause symptoms in its early stages. However, some people experience pain on the right side of the abdomen. As the disease progresses, it can also cause symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice.
Many people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease have few or no symptoms in the early stages. But over time it can cause fatigue, unexplained weight loss, decreased appetite, jaundice, itchy skin, swollen legs, etc.
To diagnose fatty liver, paraclinical imaging techniques such as ultrasound or CT can be used, however liver biopsy is still the method that gives the most accurate results.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ai-de-bi-benh-gan-nhiem-mo-20251005085854201.htm
Comment (0)