The slimmer a person is, the stronger his confidence that such a concept as “obesity” will never touch him. The unpleasant consequences that excess body weight entails do not threaten if the weight is normal and the figure is beautiful. Why, then, at a routine examination, the diagnosis sounds: "Fatty hepatosis"? It's all about visceral (abdominal) fat, enveloping our internal organs. One of the main causes of this condition is a genetic predisposition.
Fatty hepatosis (GBI, fatty liver, steatosis) is a pathological process in the liver that leads to the accumulation of drops of fat in hepatocytes and contributes to the complete degeneration of its parenchymal tissue into adipose tissue. Cirrhosis is the result of obesity in the liver. How to treat this ailment, what are its symptoms and diagnosis? The article provides detailed information that will help you find answers to all your questions on this topic.
Causes of Fatty Hepatosis
This disease is divided into two types, depending on the causes of its occurrence: ABP (alcoholic) and NAFLD (non-alcoholic). It can also be primary and secondary. The table below presents the main causes of the development of a particular type of liver disease.
Fatty hepatosis classification| Classifier | A type | The main reasons for the development of GBI |
| for the reason that triggered the development of the disease | ABP | - excessive alcohol consumption for a long time (there are cases of the development of the disease in a short time) |
| NAFL | - unbalanced nutrition (the prevalence of harmful fats); - abuse of drugs (antibiotics, hormones); - hormonal imbalance (for example, during pregnancy); - insulin resistance (as a result of obesity and hypertension); |
| according to the list of concomitant diseases and factors | primary hepatosis | - obesity and (or) diabetes; violation of lipid metabolism |
| secondary hepatosis | - taking drugs with hepatotoxic effect; - heart failure; - oncology; - fast weight loss; - chronic gastrointestinal diseases (colitis, pancreatitis); - serious surgery |
| by the nature of the course of the disease | acute | - poisoning with toxic substances (arsenic, fluoride, drug overdose, alcohol); - viral hepatitis; - sepsis |
| chronic | - violation of lipid metabolism; - deficiency of protein, certain minerals and vitamins; - alcoholism; |
| According to the severity of the disease | steatosis | Steatosis is stage I of ABP and NAFLD, the causes of which are listed above |
| steatohepatitis | Steatosis goes into stage II - steatohepatitis in the event that the inflammatory process joins the fatty infiltration |
| fibrosis | If treatment and prevention measures were not taken at stages I and II of the disease, then the disease progresses and leads to stage III - fibrosis. Risk factors include: - elderly age; - diabetes; - fullness (obesity); - the ratio of transaminase activity ASaT \ ALaT> 1 |
| cirrhosis / liver cancer (rare) | Fibrosis - an irreversible change in liver tissue with a chronic course, which ultimately leads to stage IV - cirrhosis |
Adverse factors that can serve as an impetus to the development and further progression of the disease are:
- physical inactivity;
- stress
- genetic predisposition;
- diets (implying starvation);
- bad ecology.
Many causes and factors can cause the development of a disease such as liver obesity. What to treat with GBI will largely depend on the type, stage, severity of fatty hepatosis.
Clinical manifestations of GBI
It is imperative to make a diagnosis in a timely manner and start treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the disease is insidious - it is almost asymptomatic. There are only general signs that can also manifest themselves with many other ailments:
- fast fatiguability;
- chronic fatigue (present even after sleep);
- weakness, lethargy, a feeling of powerlessness.
More obvious symptoms may be present, which should be noted:
- severity (discomfort) and / or pain in the right hypochondrium;
- belching, bloating, nausea, heartburn;
- violation of the stool (change in texture, smell, color);
- decreased appetite (no pleasure from eating);
- yellowness of the skin.
Due to a sedentary lifestyle, environmental conditions, semi-finished foods that people are used to eating daily, a disease like liver obesity has become a boom of the 21st century. Symptoms, treatment and prevention of fatty hepatosis are important information that modern people should study in order not to become "every second" in the disappointing statistics on the incidence of this disease worldwide.
Diagnosis of liver disease
It is easier to prevent obesity of the liver than to treat it, so if one or more symptoms appear, you should consult a specialist. Usually it is a therapist, gastroenterologist, hepatologist. At the examination, the doctor should be told what exactly worries, what symptoms are present. The doctor will examine the skin, and also by palpation will determine if there is an enlargement of the liver. Diagnosis of the disease takes place in several stages. It will be necessary to pass standard tests: OAK, OAM, cal. The most informative methods are presented in the tables below.
Laboratory research methods for GBI| Indicators of a biochemical blood test | Norm |
| Total protein in serum | 65-85 g / l |
| Common bilirubin | below 3.3-17.2 μmol / l |
| Direct bilirubin | 0-3.41 μmol / L |
| Indirect bilirubin | 3.41-13.6 μmol / L |
| Glucose | 4.45-6.37 mmol / L (adults) |
| Bile acids | 2.4-6.8 mmol / L |
| Fatty acid | 0.31-0.9 mmol / L (adults); more than 1.2 mmol / l (children and adults with obesity of varying degrees) |
| Blood lipids | HDL (high density lipids): 1.51-3.4 g / l (adults) LDL (low density lipids): 3.21-5.5 g / l |
| Aminotransferases (transaminases) | ALaT: 0.13-0.87 MKKat / l, 28-190 nmol / (s x l), 0.1-0.67 μmol / (ml x h), 7-54 IU / l; ASaT: 0.17-0.77 MKKat / l, 28-125 nmol / (s x l), 0.1-0.46 μmol / (ml x h), 11-43 IU / L |
| Alkaline phosphatase | 278-830 nmol / (s x L) |
| Cholesterol | less than 5.0-5.2 mmol / l |
There are also instrumental methods for studying the retroperitoneal space (spleen, liver, gall bladder, kidneys, pancreas): ultrasound, CT, MRI.
Normally, the liver and spleen are not enlarged. The thickness of the right lobe of the liver is 112-126 mm, the left is about 70 mm (adults). In children, the size of the liver depends on age, if at 1 year a thickness of 60 mm is the norm for the right lobe of the liver, the left - 33 mm, then by 18 years the indicators are close to age norms. The contours are clear and even, the structure is homogeneous, echogenicity should not be increased or decreased. Normally, the size of the common bile duct is 6-8 mm, the portal vein is up to 13 mm, the diameter of the vena cava is up to 15 mm.
Of all the possible methods, a biopsy of the liver tissue is the most effective way to make the correct diagnosis.
Treatment and prognosis for patients with GBI
Although the treatment of liver obesity of I-II degree is a long and laborious process, the prognosis for such patients is favorable. In the stage of fibrosis, it all depends on its degree and on how the body responds to drug treatment, whether there is a positive trend. In the terminal stage of cirrhosis, liver transplantation is necessary. This type of operation is the most expensive in the world. The prognosis for such people depends on material factors and characteristics of the body (post-rehabilitation period).
What is included in the treatment of fatty hepatosis? Obesity of the liver requires a number of comprehensive measures: from changing the diet and lifestyle to the use of drug therapy.
If problems with the liver begin, it is advisable to adhere to the following rules all my life, which should be observed for the prevention of fatty hepatosis:
- diet (usually a table number 5);
- playing sports (moderate physical activity);
- maintaining weight within normal limits, with obesity it is necessary to find the cause of metabolic disorders, to establish metabolic processes;
- adhere to the correct mode of work and rest;
- take medications prescribed by a doctor to maintain and restore liver cells (hepatoprotectors, lipoic acid, B vitamins).
If ABP is in acute form, it is enough to quit drinking alcohol - with maintenance therapy, the liver is able to quickly recover. With NAFLD, treatment of the underlying disease or the elimination of adverse factors is required (depending on what was the root cause).
Unconventional methods for treating a fatty liver
If you do not want to resort to medications, how to treat liver obesity? Folk remedies will help get rid of the disease. It is worth remembering that alternative medicine has its contraindications, so you should always consult your doctor.
There are many herbal medicine recipes for treating liver obesity, here are some of the most effective:
- It is necessary to take 2 parts of the following ingredients: buds of birch, nettle leaves, herbs of medunica, melilot. 3 parts of raspberry leaves and licorice root. For 1 part of the fruits of dill and the root of Scutellaria. The resulting collection must be crushed. After this, pour 2 tbsp. l in a thermos and pour 1/2 liter of boiling water, stand until morning. Take 0.5 cups up to 4 times a day for several months. After taking a break for 2 weeks, brew a fresh collection and repeat the treatment.
- 2 tbsp. l chopped peppermint leaves pour 150 grams of boiling water. Insist the broth until the morning, after which it is divided into 3 equal parts and drunk per day; in the evening, pour 50 g of dried rosehip berries into a thermos and pour 1/2 liter of boiling water. Let the broth brew until morning. Consume 200 g of broth 3 times a day. In the same way you can brew stigmas of corn. Such recipes are well suited for strengthening liver hepatocytes.
In order for the treatment to be effective, it is advisable to cleanse the entire body of toxins and slags before it begins. In folk medicine, there are many recipes for "soft" cleansing the liver.
Fatty Hepatosis Prevention
If you force yourself to apply some preventive measures, it is hardly possible to achieve a positive result. It should not be “through power”, “sometimes”, but become a way of life. Only then will prevention and treatment be a pleasure.
Behind is not the most pleasant, but necessary topic: "Obesity of the liver: treatment, symptoms." Diet - this is what you need to pay the most attention to the prevention of GBI.
It is necessary to reduce the intake of animal fats by increasing the intake of vegetable fats. Refuse easily digestible carbohydrates, such as sugar. Eat foods rich in fiber - they contribute to quick saturation and less calorie. You should not completely abandon meat, it is important to avoid the use of harmful fats. To do this, eat lean, dietary meat products. Eat should be fractional 5-6 times a day, chewing thoroughly. By following simple rules, a diagnosis such as obesity of the liver can be avoided. How to treat fatty hepatosis, what preventive measures to apply? These questions will never arise if you lead the right lifestyle.
The liver is the largest digestive gland in the body. It performs the functions on which human life and health depend. It processes toxins and promotes their elimination, accumulates useful substances necessary for replenishing vital energy - and this is far from everything that this miraculous organ does to support vital functions.
The liver is unique in its ability to regenerate. Restoring the previous volume is possible even if 3/4 of the liver tissue is destroyed. Such a strong liver, which until recently does not declare itself, still needs our careful attitude to it. A healthy lifestyle (sports, proper nutrition, work and rest) and medical examination (at least once a year) are the key to longevity, a way to avoid many diseases and their negative consequences.