Diseases

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld) is one of the types of fatty liver which occurs when fat is deposited (steatosis) in the liver due to causes other than excessive alcohol use. Non-alcoholicsteatohepatitis (nash) is the most extreme form of nafld.

SYMPTOMS

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease usually causes no signs and symptoms. When it does, they may include:

enlarged liver
fatigue
pain in the upper right abdomen

Possible signs and symptoms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis (advanced scarring) include:

abdominal swelling (ascites)
enlarged blood vessels just beneath the skin's surface
enlarged breasts in men
enlarged spleen
red palms
yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

CAUSES

Experts don't know exactly why some people accumulate fat in the liver while others do not. Similarly, there is limited understanding of why some fatty livers develop inflammation that progresses to cirrhosis. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are both linked to the following:

overweight or obesity
insulin resistance, in which your cells don't take up sugar in response to the hormone insulin
high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), indicating prediabetes or actual type 2 diabetes
high levels of fats, particularly triglycerides, in the blood
These combined health problems appear to promote the deposit of fat in the liver. For some people, this excess fat acts as a toxin to liver cells, causing liver inflammation and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which may lead to a buildup of scar tissue (fibrosis) in the liver.