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How Does Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Affect The Body & What Triggers It?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease refers to a fatty liver disease, which does not have any relation with the heavy intake or use of alcohol. These are of two different types-

Simple fatty liver, where a person has fat in the liver with almost no inflammation or damage to the liver cells.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, where a patient has inflammation and damage related to his/her liver cell, along with the accumulation of fat in his/her liver. ⁽¹⁾

How Does Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Affect The Body?

In most cases related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a patient does not have any noticeable symptoms. However, when the symptoms remain present, they are-

Pain in the upper right region of your abdomen
Enlarged spleen or liver
Tiredness and fatigue
Swelling in your belly, also called ascites
Yellowing of your eyes and skin i.e. jaundice ⁽²⁾

However, if your condition progresses to cirrhosis, you may have additional symptoms, such as-

Internal bleeding
Mental confusion
Liver malfunction
Retention of fluid ⁽²⁾

Adverse Effects/Complications Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Cirrhosis is the major complication of both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. However, to understand this in detail, we will discuss the functions of the human liver first and accordingly-

To produce a liquid substance called bile, which breaks down the fat components and removes waste materials from your body
To metabolize the toxins and other medications
To balance fluid levels in your body via adequate protein production
To process hemoglobin and store iron
To convert ammonia in the blood to relatively harmless urea to allow easy excretion
To store and release sugar/glucose as per your energy requirements
To produce cholesterol only in certain amounts to make sure about good cellular health
To remove the harmful bacteria from your blood
To produce certain immune factors for fighting with infections
To regulate the clotting of blood ⁽³⁾

Now, if the nonalcoholic fatty liver problem in a person causes cirrhosis, his/her liver intends to halt the inflammation and thereby, produces various fibrosis/scarring areas. When the inflammation continues, fibrosis spreads to occupy more and more tissues of his/her liver. Moreover, if fibrosis proceeds further, cirrhosis may result in various other complications-

Formation of fluid in the ascites i.e. abdominal region
Veins swelling in the esophageal varices/esophagus, which causes rapturing of the blood
Hepatic encephalopathy i.e. drowsiness, confusion and slurry speech
Liver cancer
Permanent or end-stage of liver failure ⁽⁴⁾

What Triggers Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

Until now, doctors have failed to find the exact cause, for which only a few people experience the fat accumulation in their liver, while others not. Moreover, experts have limited understanding of the progression of fatty liver inflammation to cirrhosis. However, in general, nonalcoholic fatty liver has a relationship with-

Obesity or overweight
Resistance to insulin, where your body cells fail to take up glucose components to respond to the insulin hormone
Hyperglycemia i.e. high blood sugar, which indicates type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
High-fat levels, especially the presence of triglycerides in your blood

The combination of the mentioned health problems promotes the deposition of fat in your liver. For some individuals, the excessive fat acts as toxins for liver cells to cause further complications or formation of scar tissues in your liver. ⁽⁴⁾

Other Diseases To Trigger Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Besides the mentioned causes, you will find various other health conditions and/or diseases to increase your risk related to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. These include-

Presence of triglycerides in high levels in your blood
High level of cholesterol in your body
Metabolic syndromes
Obesity or overweight condition, which causes the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area/region
Syndromes related to polycystic ovary
Sleeping disorders, including the problem of insomnia and sleep apnea
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Underactive pituitary glands i.e. hypopituitarism
Underactive thyroid i.e. hypothyroidism ⁽⁴⁾

Conclusion

Nonalcoholic fatty liver if left untreated, it leads to cirrhosis.

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How Does Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Affect The Body & What Triggers It?