Hepatosis is a structural disease of the liver with subsequent disruption of its work. Due to pathological changes, the cells of the organ, hepatocytes, are replaced by cells of adipose tissue. This disease is called "steatohepatosis." What does it mean? The replacement of functional cells leads to metabolic disorders and does not allow the body to fully act and do its job.
The causes of the disease
Fatty degeneration (hepatosis) of the liver can be caused by various factors. Most often it is:
- excessive consumption of foods high in carbohydrates and lipids;
- the accumulation of fats in the blood due to metabolic disorders in the body;
- diseases of the endocrine system of various etiologies;
- taking drugs that have a toxic effect on the liver;
- functional disorders in the work of the body, due to which fat is not removed from the liver;
- alcohol abuse.
All this leads to a violation of the structure of cells and their subsequent obesity. Most often non-alcoholic steatohepatosis is detected. A great influence on the state of the organ is exerted by various nutritional supplements. Class E additives, technological or flavoring substances found in any form of store products, occupy a leading position.
If you choose natural products and carefully monitor your health and nutrition, then steatohepatosis of the liver can be easily prevented. This is much easier than treating an already developed disease.
How to prevent liver infiltration
There is a certain list of measures to prevent the disease from appearing.
- Activity . With a sedentary lifestyle, the outflow of fluids is disturbed in the body, as a result of which their stagnation in the blood vessels, gall bladder, stomach leads to rot. This process contributes to the appearance of pathogenic flora in the body, causing diseases of various etiologies.
- Good nutrition . Any shifts in the balance of nutrients lead to metabolic disturbances. With a vegetarian diet, in most cases, steatohepatosis of the liver develops due to a lack of proteins that are necessary for proper carbohydrate metabolism. Excessive consumption of carbohydrates or fats also leads to the deposition of fat in the liver cells due to its lack of demand in metabolic processes.
- The right drink. For liver health, it is necessary to minimize or eliminate the use of carbonated drinks and alcohol.
Since the liver performs many different functions in the body, it is extremely important for its normal functioning. Cleansing, normalizing the balance of hormones, participation in digestive processes, maintaining the composition of the blood - this is only a small part of the functional abilities of the liver. With any change in her work, the vital activity of the whole organism is disrupted, including blood supply to organs, digestion and brain activity.
Stages of the disease
First, excess fat accumulates in the hepatocyte, which then becomes large and breaks the liver cell. After the destruction of the hepatocyte, a fatty cyst is formed. It helps to replace liver tissue with fibrous tissue, as a result of which cirrhosis develops.
The conditions of modern life contribute to the fact that steatohepatosis is spreading among the population. Treatment with folk remedies can lead to negative consequences (especially if you do not take into account the doctor’s recommendations), since in addition to exposure to the liver, medicinal herbs can negatively affect other internal organs.
There are three stages of steatosis.
- Obesity of hepatocyte - while the liver cells are not destroyed, the functioning of the organ is practically not impaired.
- Hepatocyte necrobiosis - due to the accumulation of fats, cells die, cysts form, a mesenchymal cell reaction occurs.
- Pre-cirrhotic stage - the connective tissue of the organ is replaced by the mesenchymal.
If the necessary treatment is not provided for violations of the liver structure, then a fatal outcome is possible for the patient.
Symptoms of fatty liver disease
If steatohepatosis is detected at the initial stage of the disease, its symptoms may be weak or absent, since pain is not observed with lesions of this organ.
However, as steatohepatosis develops, the following may occur:
- nausea;
- flatulence;
- lack of appetite;
- heaviness in the right hypochondrium.
At the first stage of the disease, weakness and drowsiness may occur, coordination is impaired, problems with speech and performance are noted.
In the second stage, jaundice, diathesis, digestive problems, ascites (abdominal dropsy), edema, weakness appear.
The third stage of liver failure is characterized by a violation of metabolic processes and a structural change in hepatocytes. This can lead to convulsions, exhaustion, loss of consciousness, coma.
Diagnosis and therapy of fatty degeneration
With routine laboratory tests, it is not possible to detect this disease. Fatty degeneration can only be detected using ultrasound or laparoscopy.
It is necessary to diagnose steatohepatosis in time. Treatment should be an integrated system:
- elimination of the causes of liver infiltration;
- restoration of the cellular structure;
- normalization of organ functionality;
- prevention of cirrhosis;
- elimination of gastrointestinal diseases;
- detoxification of the body and its healing.
Using these methods, steatohepatosis can be successfully treated. What else can this complement? Compliance with the proper diet, physical activity have a great influence on the vital activity and health of the body.
Steatohepatosis: treatment
The elimination of the disease is to change the lifestyle and normalize metabolic processes in the body. If treatment is started before changes in the organ tissue appear, the elimination of fat droplets from hepatocytes occurs rather quickly. Intensive therapy and maintaining a proper diet contribute to a quick recovery and the absence of relapse.
Often people seek to eliminate steatohepatosis on their own. Treatment with folk remedies can be used, however, only with regular medical supervision.
Therapy of the disease can take a whole year or even more, depending on the individual characteristics and general condition of the body. It is recommended that after recovery during the year regularly undergo examinations that will help monitor the condition of the liver and metabolic processes in it.
Only at the last stage is it extremely difficult, even almost impossible, to stop liver steatohepatosis. Treatment may not give positive results, and the only chance for recovery will be transplantation of a healthy organ from a suitable donor.
Features of the diet for fatty degeneration
Initially, it is necessary to normalize the intake of nutrients and provide them with the body in the required quantity, to restore metabolic processes associated with fats and cholesterol, thus, steatohepatosis can be stopped.
What will it give? If you reduce the consumption of spices and fats to seventy grams per day, but at the same time saturate the body with a lot of fiber, vitamins, fluids, complex carbohydrates, then structural violations will quickly be eliminated.
Which products to give preference to
Proper nutrition is the main factor that can quickly cure steatohepatosis. What does this mean and what products can be used in the first place?
The basis of the daily diet should be vegetables, cereals, dairy products, lean meat or fish. Any processing of products should be carried out only on steam, when cooking or baking. Completely exclude fried foods.
It is important to remember that if any symptoms of the disease appear, you need to urgently seek medical help and not self-medicate.