Fatty Liver Disease
(NAFLD, NASH)
- Fatty Liver Overview
- Fatty Liver Causes
- Fatty Liver Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Fatty Liver Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Author and Editor
Fatty Liver Overview
Fatty liver disease is characterized by increased accumulation of fat, especially triglycerides, in the liver cells. It is normal for the liver to contain some fat and by itself, this causes no symptoms. In some patients, the excess fat can cause inflammation called steatohepatitis (steato=fat +hepar=liver +itis=inflammation), although there is no relationship between the amount of fat present and the potential for inflammation.
Steatohepatitis can lead to cirrhosis (fibrosis, scarring and hardening of the liver). There is also an association with liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
Fatty Liver Causes
Fatty liver can be classified as alcohol and nonalcohol related. Alcohol is a direct toxin to the liver and can cause inflammation. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic related steatohepatitis (NASH) are markedly different illnesses and there are many potential causes that are linked to fat accumulation in the liver.
Some of the causes of fatty liver include:
- Diet: Consumption of excess calories in the diet (the excess
caloric intake overwhelms the liver's ability to metabolize fat in a normal
fashion, which results in fat accumulation in the liver).
- Diseases: Fatty liver is also associated with type II
diabetes,
obesity, and high
triglyceride levels in the blood,
celiac disease, and
Wilson's disease (abnormality
of copper metabolism).
- Medical conditions: Rapid
weight loss and
malnutrition.
- Medications: Medications such as tamoxifen (Soltamox), amiodarone injection (Nestorone), amiodarone oral (Cordarone, Pacerone), and methotrexate (Rheumatrex Dose Pack, Trexall) are associated with NAFLD.
There is evidence to suggest the presence of an association between insulin resistance and the development of NAFLD. In this situation, although the body makes adequate insulin, the ability of cells to adequately use that insulin to metabolize glucose is abnormal. The relative excess of glucose is then stored as fat and can accumulate in the liver.

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Fatty Liver
Liver Blood Test Overview
In general, liver blood tests are used to detect an injury or an inflammation to the liver. These tests are commonly ordered and performed in many situations, such as in routine health screening, evaluation of abdominal pain, or suspected liver disease. The liver blood tests are typically done as a part of the comprehensive metabolic panel which also includes electrolyte levels and kidney function.
The main values measured in liver blood tests are the aminotransferases (alanine aminotransferase or ALT and aspartate aminotransferase or AST). The other measurements include alkaline phosphatase, albumin, and bilirubin. It is important to note that these tests are commonly referred to as "liver function tests", but this term is misleading as the aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase do not reflect the function of the liver. Strictly speaking, the true liver function tests (LFT's) include albumin, bilirub...

