Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

As many of you know I have had many reasons for my weight gain over the years mainly emotional but also 11 abdominal surgeries.  So I unfortunately have more than one cause for my cirrhotic liver and the second one is due to accumulated fat which has caused scarring and lesions in my liver.  So the following is more information so that you can better understand what I am facing and know that my illness has already produced stage four scarring so that as far as doctors can tell there is no reversing my cirrhosis at this point but through weight loss I can live a healthier life while I await the possibility of a transplant.  All the medical information I have provided on this and the other pages has all come from the Mayo Clinic's web pages.

Definition

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is common and, for most people, causes no signs and symptoms and no complications. But in some people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the fat that accumulates can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. This more serious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is sometimes called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. At its most severe, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to liver failure.

Symptoms

The liver

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease usually causes no signs and symptoms. When it does, they may include:

• Fatigue
• Pain in the upper right abdomen
• Weight loss

Causes

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs when your liver has trouble breaking down fats, causing fat to build up in your liver tissue. Doctors aren't sure what causes this. The wide range of diseases and conditions linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is so diverse that it's difficult to pinpoint any one cause.

Types of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can take several forms — from harmless to life-threatening. Forms include:

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver. It's not normal for fat to build up in your liver, but it won't necessarily hurt you. In its simplest form, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can cause excess liver fat, but no complications. This condition is thought to be very common.
• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. In a small number of people with fatty liver, the fat causes inflammation in the liver. This can impair the liver's ability to function and lead to complications.
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-associated cirrhosis. Liver inflammation leads to scarring of the liver tissue. With time, scarring can become so severe that the liver no longer functions adequately (liver failure)  This last is what I have been diagnosed with.

No standard treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease exists. Instead, doctors typically work to treat the risk factors that contribute to your liver disease.  Please see my other pages for information on my other cause for cirrhosis Primary Biliary Cirrhosis and liver transplantation.  Thanks for even taking the time to read about all this and being interested in my story.