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What Are The Symptoms Of A Fatty Liver?

A fatty liver is the buildup of excess fat in the liver cells. The cause of this condition can be as simple as your lifestyle, such as drinking and eating the wrong foods.

Fatty liver is the build-up of excess fat in the liver cells. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is common and may cause no signs and symptoms and no complications.

However, if there are symptoms, these would include: fatigue, pain in the upper right abdomen, and weight loss.
In some people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the fat that accumulates can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. This more serious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is sometimes called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. At its most severe, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to liver failure.

A fatty liver may cause limited damage; however, the excess fat may lead to the inflammation of the liver. Sometimes the inflammation is linked to alcohol abuse and can cause cirrhosis of the liver. There are usually no symptoms of cirrhosis in its early stage. However, as the scarring in the liver continues, cirrhosis may cause these symptoms and complications:

•   Loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, weight loss
•   Jaundice, a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes
•   Itching, caused by retention of bile products in the skin
•   Fluid buildup and painful swelling of the legs and abdomen
•   Confusion and other mental changes, leading to coma
•   Swelling or rupture of veins in the lower end of the esophagus from increased blood pressure in the vessels leading to the liver

As there are usually no symptoms that are noticeable to the patient, it is usually another reason or exam that leads to the diagnosis of a fatty liver.

In fact, a fatty liver is frequently uncovered during a routine physical examination. There may be a rise in certain liver enzymes found in the blood, and sometimes the liver is slightly enlarged. Fatty liver may also be discovered while the physician is evaluating a patient for other illnesses.

For example, an ultrasound exam of the abdomen done for other reasons may show fat in the liver. To be certain of a diagnosis of fatty liver, the physician may recommend a liver biopsy. Under local anesthesia, a slender needle is inserted through the right lower chest. A small piece of liver tissue is taken out with the needle and examined under a microscope