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Fatty liver
How to treat severe fatty liver?
The treatment of severe fatty liver is not significantly different from that of mild to moderate fatty liver in terms of medication. The main aspects of treating severe fatty liver include: Firstly, general treatment, which encompasses a healthy diet, appropriate exercise, weight control, and avoiding liver damage. Secondly, medication treatment: Due to large individual differences, there is no absolute, best, quickest, or most effective medication. Apart from using common over-the-counter drugs, it is important to select the appropriate medication based on individual circumstances. Additionally, surgical treatment options are available. For patients with severe obesity and type 2 diabetes, or for those with moderate cases but ineffective control of blood sugar through conservative treatment, weight loss surgery can be considered. Furthermore, combining treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and herbs can also yield excellent results for severe fatty liver.
The Harm of Fatty Liver
There are many causes of fatty liver disease, and the degree of harm varies according to the different causes. Non-alcoholic fatty liver is closely related to metabolic syndrome and often occurs in diseases such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension. It can easily lead to reduced arterial elasticity and increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, or sudden death. Fatty liver can also exacerbate liver damage. Long-term fatty liver may lead to liver fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis. If combined with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C, the progression to liver fibrosis may accelerate.
What should be noted for mild fatty liver?
People with mild fatty liver also need to pay special attention to their diet. It is important to consume a light diet and avoid high-calorie and high-fat foods such as fatty meats, fried foods, and animal organs; these should be minimized in the diet and replaced with more fruits and vegetables. Additionally, it is recommended to increase physical activity, as exercise can metabolize fats and has a certain therapeutic effect on patients with fatty liver. Simultaneously, alcohol should be avoided, as it can damage liver cells. If a patient with fatty liver frequently consumes alcohol, it can exacerbate the condition and may also lead to elevated liver enzymes.
What should I do about moderate fatty liver?
In cases of moderate fatty liver, it is essential to be very cautious about diet, strictly abstaining from smoking and drinking, and avoiding greasy foods. Additionally, engaging in appropriate physical exercise is advisable, ideally maintaining over half an hour of activity daily, which can boost immunity and prevent weight gain, potentially exacerbating the condition otherwise. Fatty liver is a reversible disease, but if not promptly addressed, it can progress to cirrhosis. Therefore, a light diet should be the primary focus, avoiding fried foods and high-fat foods, including animal organs. Regular follow-up visits to the hospital are also necessary.
How to treat the symptoms of fatty liver disease?
The treatment of fatty liver symptoms primarily requires distinguishing the type of fatty liver, which includes alcoholic fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver (simple fatty liver), and steatohepatitis. For alcoholic fatty liver, the first step is to abstain from alcohol. Additionally, it is important to avoid high-fat and greasy foods in the diet. When alcoholic liver damage occurs, if the liver function is severely impaired, treatment with liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications may be necessary. For nonalcoholic fatty liver, which is caused by being overweight or having a large waist circumference, treatment involves controlling weight and reducing waist size. Combined with appropriate physical exercise, reducing weight and waist size can help improve fatty liver. The diet should also limit high-fat, greasy, and high-sugar foods, focusing on light and easily digestible food, supplemented with an adequate amount of protein. For people with steatohepatitis, treatment usually involves intravenous infusions of liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications.
Is moderate fatty liver serious?
Moderate fatty liver is considered a relatively severe condition, mainly caused by the excessive accumulation of fat tissue in the liver. Generally, moderate fatty liver can cause varying degrees of inflammatory changes in liver cells. It can be roughly divided into three stages: the first stage is simple fatty liver, the second stage is steatohepatitis, and the third stage is fatty liver fibrosis, also known as steatotic liver cirrhosis. Many factors can cause fatty liver, such as obesity, alcohol consumption, and drug toxicity. If a patient experiences indigestion, diarrhea, or loss of appetite, the possibility of fatty liver should be considered. It is advisable to visit a hospital for an upper abdominal CT scan or an abdominal ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment mainly involves three aspects: removing the cause, dietary adjustment, and medication.
Can people with fatty liver smoke?
Patients with fatty liver disease should also appropriately quit smoking or reduce the frequency of smoking. The treatment for severe fatty liver disease mainly includes a reasonable diet, appropriate exercise, as well as choosing to quit smoking and drinking, controlling diet properly, increasing physical exercise, removing the cause of the disease, and actively treating the primary disease. Although smoking mainly causes damage to the lungs, nicotine in cigarettes can also damage liver cells. When people with fatty liver disease smoke excessively, it can exacerbate the condition. It also damages liver cells, so people with fatty liver disease also need to quit smoking or reduce the frequency of smoking. People with fatty liver disease should regularly monitor liver function and undergo imaging tests of the liver to timely monitor the condition and actively enhance physical exercise to control the cause of the disease.
What department should I visit for fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a disease that indicates a metabolic disorder and is considered a type of digestive system disease, as well as a liver disease. In top-tier hospitals, there is generally a hepatology department where one can seek treatment at their outpatient clinic. In slightly less equipped county-level secondary hospitals or third-tier hospitals, which do not have a hepatology outpatient clinic, one can visit the gastroenterology outpatient clinic. Additionally, basic health clinics, which do not have a gastroenterology outpatient clinic, require visiting a general internal medicine outpatient clinic.
What to eat for fatty liver?
Fatty liver refers to the decreased ability of the liver to metabolize fats or an increase in blood lipids. In such cases, it is first important to pay attention to a light diet, eat more vegetables, and drink more water, which is conducive to the metabolism of triglycerides. Additionally, it is best to avoid greasy and spicy foods, as excessively fatty foods can also enter the bloodstream after digestion and absorption, further burdening the liver. It is also important to engage in more outdoor exercise to enhance physical fitness and reduce the accumulation of fats.
How long does it take to recover from fatty liver with exercise?
Fatty liver is a reversible disease that can gradually improve with proactive treatment, dietary adjustments, and appropriate exercise, although the duration of exercise varies from person to person. For mild fatty liver, the treatment period is short. In cases of severe fatty liver, exercise therapy must be complemented with medications, which extends the time required. Currently, there are no specific drugs that completely cure fatty liver. The main treatments involve protecting liver cells, reducing lipid levels, and using antioxidants. It is important to adjust the diet promptly, reduce the intake of greasy food, especially animal fats, and increase outdoor activities such as jogging and playing badminton. Maintaining a positive mindset also helps in recovery. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)