The dangers of fatty liver and prevention

  Fatty liver is a disorder of liver fat metabolism caused by a variety of reasons, resulting in the accumulation of fat in the hepatocytes, the accumulation of more than 5% of the weight of the liver or histologically more than 50% of the hepatocytes steatosis is called fatty liver.  It is reported that the prevalence of fatty liver in China is about 17%, 90% of which are non-alcoholic fatty liver, fatty liver has become the second largest liver disease after viral hepatitis, and about 2.5% to 5% of patients can develop cirrhosis. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of fatty liver can not be delayed.  The main causes of fatty liver are: fatty food, excessive alcohol consumption, overweight, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and drug damage, resulting in impaired uptake, synthesis, operation, and utilization of fat by the liver. Clinical manifestations of fatty liver, generally speaking, mild fatty liver has no symptoms; moderate and severe fatty liver may have symptoms such as loss of appetite, abdominal distension, discomfort or vague pain in the liver area, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, etc. In severe cases, jaundice, ascites, bleeding tendency, liver failure and encephalopathy may occur.  At present, the people with the highest rate of fatty liver are company owners and managers who have made a lot of achievements in the business world, and office workers who do not get enough rest from their work. I recommend that these people take some time out of their busy schedules to go to the hospital for regular checkups to prevent the disease before it happens. The common tests for fatty liver include ultrasound, CT, liver function tests, liver biopsy, etc. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a comprehensive judgment. Early detection and diagnosis can be achieved, and there are no sequelae as long as treatment is timely.  The treatment of fatty liver should firstly grasp the cause of the disease and be targeted. For example, if alcoholic fatty liver is stopped early, the fatty liver will soon improve; those who are good at fatty, sweet, fried and fried products should have a light diet; those who are fat and overweight should lose weight scientifically and moderately; diabetes and hyperlipidemia should be treated actively for the original disease; drug damage should be stopped with liver-damaging drugs. Don’t neglect the prevention and treatment of fatty liver because it is still in the light stage, which will lead to the development of moderate or severe fatty liver and increase the difficulty of treatment. As the saying goes, “If you don’t have long-term concerns, you will have near-term concerns”.  Secondly, drug treatment, a combination of Chinese and Western medicine can complement each other’s strengths and be very effective. For example: antioxidant, hepatic metabolism, anti-liver cell damage reducing glutathione, silymarin; Chinese herbal medicine such as Salvia miltiorrhiza, cassia, zedoary, hawthorn, grass cassia, rhubarb. The purpose of drug treatment is to control the progress of the disease as early as possible, that is, the so-called “prevention before the disease, that is, disease prevention”.  But medication is not a panacea, it must be supplemented by improving poor lifestyle and habits. In addition, there is also dietary treatment, which should be based on the principle of high protein and low fat, with emphasis on maintaining the balance of various amino acids and supplementing with various vitamins, mainly from vegetables, fruits and wheat bran, while limiting the intake of sugar and spicy and stimulating foods.  In conclusion, fatty liver, as a lifestyle disease in modern society, should be given great attention.