There is an alert about the increase in cases of fatty liver, a pathology that affects 1 in 4 Aragonese. What does it mean to have this condition?
The Spanish Association for the Study of the Liver (AEEH) warns that one in four Aragonese suffers from fatty liver, and warns of the continued increase in the number of people suffering from liver disease.
25% of the population in Aragon, more than 330,000 people, suffer from this “blind” disease, but although the liver is one of the organs most affected by alcohol consumption, in many cases it is not the main cause.
In fact, in the particular case of the Aragonese, experts relate fatty liver with risk factors such as a sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
For this reason, the prevalence of this pathology is worrying, to the point that the president of the AEEH, Manuel Romero, has warned about the continued growth of cases, stating that ” the problem is that the worst is yet to come and almost no one is aware of it .”
But what does it mean to have fatty liver and how can you know if you suffer from this “blind” disease ?
What does it mean to have a fatty liver?
According to the AEEH, liver-related diseases are the third cause of premature death in our country and are the second cause of years of working life lost; cardiovascular diseases are in the first place. That said, what does it mean to have fatty liver?
Fatty liver or fatty liver disease or hepatic steatosis is a pathology associated with a high concentration of fat in the liver cells.
Fatty liver disease may present with these variants:
- Alcoholic fatty liver, when directly related to excessive alcohol consumption
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), when not associated with excessive alcohol intake. This is the most common form of fatty liver disease.
How to know if a person has fatty liver
It is not easy to detect if a person suffers from fatty liver, because there are usually no clear and specific symptoms related to this pathology.
Sometimes it can manifest with fatigue, weight loss, and abdominal pain, although this is not the most common.
Therefore, unless a blood test is performed that analyzes transaminases, its detection is usually complicated and late.
Fatty liver: How does being overweight and having a sedentary lifestyle affect it?
Generally, fatty liver is directly associated with excessive alcohol consumption, however, this is not the only cause that leads to fat deposits in this organ.
A sedentary lifestyle or a poor diet can cause the liver to harden and lead to more complex diseases that put people’s lives at risk.
In this regard, a recent report by the AEEH has warned that 25% of the Aragonese population suffers from fatty liver. That is, one in four people in Aragon suffer from this disease, which, as we said, is related to overweight, obesity, or a sedentary lifestyle.
In this sense, some specialists associate these risk factors with the increase in cases of type 2 diabetes, worse consumption habits, and little desire to do physical activity.
But what also worries experts is that the prevalence of this liver disease is growing in all segments of the Aragonese population, including 2-3% of children, where until recently it did not manifest itself.
The problem with fatty liver is that it is a difficult condition to identify because it usually does not present symptoms. Consequently, a diagnosis in the advanced stage of liver disease increases the risk of developing more serious diseases, such as fibrosis or liver cancer.
How to treat fatty liver
There is no specific drug to treat fatty liver. The best treatment to reverse this disease is to incorporate some lifestyle changes, such as eliminating alcohol and tobacco consumption, doing moderate-intense physical exercise 3-4 days a week, and maintaining a healthy diet:
- Eliminate consumption of saturated fats.
- Avoid eating sugary foods and drinks that contain fructose.
- Moderate food intake at night.
- Increase consumption of complex carbohydrates and proteins.