When liver cells are transformed into fat, we are talking about a disease called steatosis. The disease if not given proper attention at an early stage is dangerous because fatty liver of the liver goes into fibrosis and then to cirrhosis, which can lead to death.
Causes of fatty hepatosis
Excessive alcohol consumption, uncontrolled intake of drugs, abuse of fatty foods is bad for the state of the body, but the liver as a kind of filter that suffers the most.
Steatosis of the liver causes may have very different, sometimes patients who do not abuse neither alcohol nor fatty foods are faced with this problem. The reason in this case may be a poor ecology and stressful lifestyles.
The toxic substances in this body transformed into simple fats that the liver cope with the proviso that they are not in excess. Otherwise, these fats accumulate in the liver cells, pereprodajut them into fat. Over time, the liver is formed adipose tissue, which gives her the opportunity to carry out the main function – neutralisation and removal from the body of toxic substances.
Patients suffering from type II diabetes (insipidus), are at greater risk from disease than those with a blood sugar close to normal. The risk group includes people suffering from obesity and hypertriglyceridemia (elevated levels of lipids in the blood), serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
More often steatosis was diagnosed in areas of high radiation in endocrine diseases it provokes.
The most common species and stages of steatosis
Depending on the causes of fatty liver has several varieties. The most common of them is cholestatic hepatosis. It is easy to guess what reasons can lead to such health problems. Another common – alcoholic steatosis. They both have different mechanisms of progression, but similar in its symptoms and consequences for the whole organism. Cholestatic hepatosis is a consequence of the metabolic disorders in hepatocytes (bile acids and cholesterol). This interferes with bile production and bile flow in the bile channels. The most common cause of the disease – intoxication with medicines.
The mechanism of alcoholic fatty liver is associated with the effect on the liver of ethanol. It secretes catecholamines that mobilize the fat from all tissues to the liver. The most severe form of alcoholic steatosis is a syndrome Tive, which can even be fatal.
The stage of steatosis of the liver are distinguished depending on how many cells the liver is blocked with fats:
- steatosis of 1 degree occurs when pockets of accumulation of fat cells a little and they are placed far from each other (diffuse hepatosis);
- steatosis 2 degree – it is the condition of the liver when the area is fat accumulation increasing and starts the growth of connective tissue;
- steatosis grade 3 are distinguished by a pronounced strips of connective tissue that grow in fibroblasts, causing cirrhosis;
- And alcohol, and cholestatic hepatosis can lead to severe intoxication of the organism, fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. It is important to recognize the disease at an early stage to specialist appointed effective treatment. For this purpose we use modern techniques that help to identify the disease at early stages and reduce the risk of death.
Symptoms of fatty hepatosis
Steatosis of the liver has such symptoms which are mild at early stages and increases in the extent of disease progression:
- a feeling of heaviness in the upper right side, especially after a fatty meal; liver enlarged and palpable even on palpation;
- intestinal dysbiosis, which manifests itself in flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, vomiting (if cholestatic hepatosis also yields colourless stool, dark color urine);
- General weakness and fatigue, irritability;
- blurred vision;
- fading of the skin, itching.
Diagnosis of steatosis is complicated by the fact that these symptoms characterize other diseases, and functional tests in the early stages little changed. Diffuse changes of a liver-type fatty steatosis diagnosed by ultrasound, and then appointed General analysis of blood and urine. Blood level of bilirubin rises, rises, and cholesterol, found high rates of erythrocyte sedimentation rate. In the feces sterkobilina the concentration of reduced (therefore pale stools).
For a more accurate diagnosis assigned to needle biopsy, radioisotope hepatography, which reveals abnormalities of secretory and excretory functions of the liver.
Treatment and prevention
Based on the difficulties of diagnosis, the liver disease is detected most often at the stage when a patient needs to spend in hospital under the strict supervision of a specialist. But even the most expensive and effective drugs are not able to help the patient, if he does not change lifestyle. The fact that in alcoholic steatosis can achieve the opposite process, with complete abstinence from alcohol and in that case, if there is a strict diet.
Exclude from the diet: rich broth, fatty meat, fish, onions and fresh garlic, legumes, mushrooms, some vegetables (tomatoes, radishes), canned meat, cocoa and coffee (unsweetened tea you can drink), fatty cheese and sour cream. Legal products are best steamed.
Animal fats in the diet should be reduced to a minimum, and at the stage of exacerbation of chronic diseases and is excluded. Only in the case if the patient shows a high level of self-organization, a physician may vouch for the effectiveness of assigned medications that improve metabolic processes in liver cells. When severe intoxication prescribe corticosteroids – anti-inflammatory drugs.
But the most important condition of successful treatment is proper nutrition. Be healthy!
