Fatty Liver

Iam 36 years old.An USG is showing fatty liver and the doctor has advised me to take LORNIT 150 thrice daily.
I used to take alcohol but now have reduced it.Please let me know what measures i need to take & wheather its curable or not.Iam obese & was having high trigliseride & elivated BP but now its under control.

[Myown]

Hi, It seems from what I have read that you must first find the cause and then treat it. Here is some info that might be of help.

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec10/ch136/ch136b.html

"Fatty liver (steatosis) is an abnormal accumulation of certain fats (triglycerides) inside liver cells.


People with fatty liver may feel tired or have mild abdominal discomfort but otherwise have no symptoms.
A liver biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis and provide valuable information.
Treatment involves eliminating the cause of fatty liver, such as alcohol.

In the United States and other Western countries, the most common causes of fatty liver are alcoholism, toxins, certain drugs, hereditary metabolic disorders, and metabolic abnormalities, such as excess body weight, insulin resistance, and high triglyceride levels in the blood. The latter is called the metabolic syndrome (see Cholesterol Disorders:Hyperlipoproteinemia). These conditions cause fat to accumulate in liver cells either by causing the body to synthesize more fat or by processing (metabolizing) and excreting fat more slowly. As a result, fat accumulates and is then stored inside liver cells. Just consuming a high-fat diet does not result in fatty liver. Microvesicular steatosis, a rare form of fatty liver, can develop in certain genetically susceptible women during pregnancy.

The fatty liver may or may not be inflamed. Inflammation may then develop into scarring (fibrosis). Fibrosis often progresses into cirrhosis. Fatty liver (with or without fibrosis) due to any condition except alcoholism is called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. This disorder develops most often in people with the metabolic syndrome.

Common Causes of Fatty Liver
Alcoholism

Metabolic abnormalities


Excess body weight
Insulin resistance (as occurs in diabetes)
High levels of triglycerides (a fat) in the blood

Drugs


Aspirin Some Trade Names
ECOTRIN
ASPERGUM
Corticosteroids
Tamoxifen Some Trade Names
NOLVADEX
Tetracycline Some Trade Names
ACHROMYCIN V
TETRACYN
SUMYCIN

Pregnancy

Toxins

Viruses


Symptoms and Diagnosis

Fatty liver usually causes no symptoms. Some people may feel tired or have vague abdominal discomfort. The liver tends to enlarge and can be detected by the doctor during a physical examination. If doctors suspect fatty liver, they'll ask about alcohol use. This information is crucial. Continued and excessive alcohol use will cause severe liver damage.

Blood tests to detect liver abnormalities, such as inflammation, are important (see Diagnostic Tests for Liver, Gallbladder, and Biliary Disorders:Introduction), as this type of hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis. Additional blood tests help exclude other causes of liver abnormalities, such as viral hepatitis. Ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen can detect excess fat in the liver but cannot determine if inflammation or fibrosis is present.

Liver biopsy may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. For the biopsy, a doctor inserts a long hollow needle through the skin (anaesthetized locally to lessen any pain) and into the liver to obtain a small piece of liver tissue for examination under a microscope (see Diagnostic Tests for Liver, Gallbladder, and Biliary Disorders: Biopsy of the Liver). The biopsy can help determine whether fatty liver is present, whether it resulted from alcohol or certain other specific causes, and how severe the liver damage is.


Metabolic syndrome causes fat to accumulate in the liver.


Prognosis and Treatment

Excess fat in the liver alone is not necessarily a serious problem. For example, if alcoholism is the cause, the fat can disappear, usually within 6 weeks, when people stop drinking. If the cause is not identified and remedied, fatty liver can have serious consequences. For example, if excessive alcohol use continues or a drug causing fatty liver is not stopped, repeated liver injury may eventually lead to cirrhosis. Microvesicular steatosis has a worse prognosis.

Treatment focuses on minimizing or eliminating the cause of fatty liver. People should stop taking a drug, lose weight, or take measures to control diabetes, lower triglyceride levels, or stop drinking."

-------------------------------------------------------
If your doctor orders a liver biopsy, it doesn't hurt at all. I had one and would rather have a biopsy then a tooth filled.
Good luck, it sounds like once you find the cause, it is treatable. Even though you are not drinking alot of alcohol, its probably best to not have any, but thats for you and your doctor to decide.
Take care,
MO