What do you know about fatty liver disease?

  Fatty liver disease (FLD) is a genetic-environmental-metabolic stress-related disease that includes two major groups: alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Currently, the prevalence of alcoholic liver disease remains high, while the incidence of NAFLD continues to rise and its onset is becoming younger, becoming the number one cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries and regions, second only to viral hepatitis in China, and fatty liver disease and viral hepatitis can coexist.  Most patients perceive fatty liver disease only after a physical examination or when they need ultrasound or liver function check because of other diseases, and even then it is still not enough to attract the attention of patients, not knowing that it can also go through steatohepatitis to develop into cirrhosis. More seriously, in addition to the fact that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can lead to liver disability and death as alcoholic liver disease, it is also closely associated with metabolic syndrome (including type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, insulin resistance, etc.) and its related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. For this reason, the dangers of fatty liver disease are not limited to the liver, and the study of fatty liver disease is not limited to alcoholic liver disease. In fact, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has become a new challenge in the field of contemporary liver disease and may be as much of a threat to human health and social development as alcoholic liver disease.  Alcoholic liver disease is mainly due to long-term heavy drinking, while non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is related to diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, etc. In other words, fatty liver disease can be classified as a “modern civilization disease”, like hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, etc., mainly related to poor lifestyle and behavior. The prevention and control measures are as follows: (1) Proper understanding and treatment of fatty liver disease.  (2) Scientific weight loss, rather than dieting or taking diet pills. Control the amount of diet, mainly light, moderate exercise, to ensure that the daily intake of energy is slightly less than the daily consumption of energy and gradually make weight loss.  (3) Quit drinking alcohol and quit smoking or drink a small amount of alcohol.  (4) Appropriately control the use of liver-damaging drugs.  (5) Add liver protection drugs for those who have poor liver function.  (6) Identify the use of Chinese medicine for internal treatment.