Inflammation of the liver is better known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; it affects between two and five percent of the population and is a disease that can be deadly if left untreated. It is sometimes called the silent liver disease because it has so few symptoms; when its symptoms do show up, they are often so vague and similar to that of a number of other illnesses that it isn’t detected until blood tests are done to test for elevated liver enzymes.
It arises in people who first suffer from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and represents a progression from that condition, with the addition of inflammation has led to actual scarring and permanent damage.
Causes
Unlike alcoholic hepatitis, which is caused by consumption of alcohol, the cause of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is an excess of fat in the liver. It is more likely to affect women than men, and can happen in children as well as adults.
Fat in the liver is a condition that affects one in every five people, and the medical terminology for it is non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is a reversible condition, and it does not by itself represent damage. But if left untreated, NAFLD can progress to Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and the progression from one to the other indicates that damage has been done, inflammation is present and scar tissue may begin to form.
Once the liver is infiltrated by scar tissue, it is no longer able to perform its functions, and the impact can be very serious. Because the liver is responsible for so many important processes, when the liver is severely damaged it causes systemic problems.
Excess Fat
Inflammation of the liver caused by excess fat is becoming more common, and this is generally attributed to the epidemic of obesity. Obesity can cause many other health issues including diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure, and these dire health conditions are exacerbated by liver damage. The liver processes all of the blood from the stomach and intestines, creating bile which breaks down fat and
removes waste, and protein and cholesterol for various purposes, and breaking down toxic substances among other duties.
When the excess fat in the cells of the liver begin to create inflammation, scar tissue can form. Once there is enough scar tissue, it slows down or stops the flow of blood through the liver, effectively halting the work that the liver does. Symptoms include a feeling of general illness and exhaustion, weight loss, muscle wasting, jaundice and acute water retention. Once this process has begun and gone to a certain point, it is irreversible.
Treatment
Although there is no cure for inflammation of the liver once it gets to the point that it is diagnosed as causing scarring, there are many things that can be done to improve the quality of life and can reverse some of the symptoms of the liver damage.
The single most important step that you can take is to lose weight and eat more nutritiously. Not only will this prevent additional damage, but will also have a positive impact on many of the other conditions that often accompany nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Exercise should be added to your daily activities, and alcohol should be avoided at all costs, as well as medications that may exacerbate the condition.