Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty Liver (Hepatic Steatosis)
Symptoms
Causes
Types
Risk
Diagnosis
Treatment
Outlook
Prevention
Fatty liver
Fatty liver, or hepatic steatosis, is a term that describes the buildup of fat in the liver. It’s normal to have small amounts of fat in your liver, but too much can become a health problem.

The liver is the second largest organ in the body. It’s responsible for a wide variety of functions, including processing everything we eat and drink, and filtering harmful substances from the blood. Too much fat in the liver can lead to long-term liver damage. View a BodyMap of the liver and learn more about its function.

Early stage fatty liver is diagnosed when the proportion of liver cells that contain fat is more than 5 percent. This is often diagnosed by looking at small samples taken from the liver under the microscope. Ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRI scans can also help evaluate the fat content of the liver.

The liver commonly repairs itself by rebuilding new liver cells when the old ones are damaged. When there’s repeated damage to the liver, permanent scarring takes place. This condition is called cirrhosis. In mild forms, fatty liver can be a reversible condition that may improve with lifestyle modifications such as diet changes, weight loss, and increased physical activity. In many cases, fatty liver has no symptoms.

Unfortunately, fatty liver is becoming a more common condition, currently affecting around 20 to 30 percent of Americans. Most cases of fatty liver that are associated with inflammation are detected in people between ages 40 and 60, according to the American Liver Foundation.

Fatty liver becomes harmful to the liver when it progresses. Liver inflammation (steatohepatitis) can lead to liver scarring, liver cancer, and end-stage liver disease.

What are the symptoms of fatty liver?
Fatty liver typically has no associated symptoms. However, research has shown that about 20 percent of people with fatty liver inflammation progress to worse conditions. If this occurs you may experience fatigue or abdominal discomfort. Your liver may become slightly enlarged, which your doctor may be able to detect during a physical exam.

It’s believed that the excess fat in the liver, along with certain medical conditions, increases inflammation. If your liver becomes inflamed, you may have symptoms such as:

a poor appetite
weight loss
abdominal pain
physical weakness
fatigue
confusion

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Sheri Grutz The most common cause of fatty liver is alcohol use disorder and heavy drinking. In many cases, it’s much less clear what causes fatty liver in people who don’t drink much alcohol. However, higher body weight, a high processed sugar diet, high triglycerides, diabetes, low physical activity, and genetics all play a role.

Fatty liver develops when the body creates too much fat or cannot metabolize fat efficiently enough. The excess fat is stored in liver cells where it accumulates and causes fatty liver disease.

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