Fatty Heart Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Definition
Small amounts of fat in the liver (liver) is normal. However, if the amount of fat reaches 5-10% of your liver’s weight, then you most likely have a condition called fatty liver (fatty liver).
Fatty liver can be caused by alcohol or non-alcoholic factors. If it continues, this disease can cause several serious conditions to death.
In fatty liver, this one organ can enlarge. Over time, liver tissue will be replaced by connective tissue which is called cirrhosis. If this disease is not treated properly, then it can develop into cancer and cause death.
Symptoms
When it’s still mild, fatty liver or fatty liver rarely causes certain symptoms. However, as the condition of the fatty liver develops, the following symptoms need to be watched out for:
- Drowning
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
- Nauseous
- Difficulty concentrating
- Pain in the upper right abdomen or the middle of the abdomen
- Enlargement of the liver
In addition, changes in skin color to black can also occur, especially in the neck or armpit area. If this condition continues, other symptoms may appear, such as changes in the body to jaundice, internal bleeding, and liver failure.
Reason
The causes of fatty liver or fatty liver can be divided into 2, namely:
- Alcoholic Liver Disease / fatty liver due to alcohol. Fatty liver or fatty liver can appear after consuming moderate or heavy amounts of alcohol.
This disorder can also occur due to alcohol consumption in a short time but with heavy levels/amounts ( acute alcoholic liver disease ). Genetics also plays an important role in the development of this disease. Several other conditions that also affect this disease are hepatitis C, high consumption of iron, obesity, and unhealthy diets.
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). This situation is similar to liver disease caused by alcohol. However, people who suffer from this disease do not consume alcohol or only consume alcohol in small amounts.
The cause is still unclear, but it is often associated with overweight and obesity. In these people, it is also common to find high cholesterol levels or diabetes or prediabetes.
There are also several factors that can increase the risk of this disease, such as several types of drugs, viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, drastic weight loss and malnutrition.
Diagnosis
To determine the diagnosis of fatty liver or fatty liver, the doctor will conduct a series of medical interviews and physical examinations. A fatty liver examination that is usually done is:
- Blood tests to check liver enzymes
- Ultrasound examination (USG)
- Liver cell biopsy
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for this disease. Treatment of fatty liver or fatty liver is usually adjusted to the cause. For example, if it is caused by alcohol, then the proper treatment is to stop consuming alcohol.
If it is caused by being overweight, then what most needs to be done is to lose weight. You also have to get balanced nutrition with the right calories and increase physical activity/exercise.
Apart from limiting calories, it is also important to avoid foods with easily digestible carbohydrates such as bread, rice, corn, and the added sugars found in canned drinks.