DIABETES, OBESITY GREATLY INCREASE RISK OF FATTY LIVER

GEORGE (name changed), was 55-years-old when he was diagnosed with fatty liver. Since he was a teetotaller, he did not consider it to be a serious issue. However, during a subsequent health check-up, he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

- ANNA JOSE @ Kochi

“He was suffering from other lifestyle diseases, including diabetes and cholesterol. The situation could have been avoided had he followed up regularly with a fibroscan and other liver-related tests. Such diseases, if identified early, are preventable and reversible,” said Dr John Menachery, senior consultant hepatologist at Rajagiri Hospital, Aluva. People who avoid alcohol tend to believe that they are safe from fatty liver disease. However, the number of people affected by fatty liver - alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - has been on the rise in India. Unfortunately, most patients identify the condition at a later stage as it is mostly asymptomatic.

Fatty liver disease, the leading cause of liver cirrhosis, is now referred to as metabolism associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) after a new nomenclature was adopted. This change reflects the growing understanding of the condition’s metabolic origins, says Dr Piyush Ranjan, vice-chairman of department of gastroenterology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi.

“Earlier, fatty liver, which used to be diagnosed on ultrasound, was thought to be an innocuous condition and people did not bother about it. Follow-up studies have showed that fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis in some cases, and to hepatocellular carcinoma in some people,” said Dr V Mohan, chairman of Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai.

According to a study published in 2022 in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, ‘Prevalence of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis’, NAFLD prevalence in average-risk and high-risk sub-groups was estimated to be 28.1% and 52.8%, respectively. The study concludes that about one in three adults or children have NAFLD in India.

What is fatty liver?