Fatty liver, is it directly related to liver disease or not....

[Purmaple11]

I saw my pcp on Tuesday. He tells me that fatty liver and liver disease are not that closely related. That you can get liver disease from fatty liver but it would take years and years of damage to become liver disease, the fatty part is just the outside lining of the liver. My liver doctor says fatty liver is directly related. Now I'm confused...everything I've read online says fatty liver is one of the number one cause of liver disease. I was told had I made changes when I found out I had fatty liver I might not have progressed to stage 3 liver fibrosis...when I was originally told I had fatty liver the ER doc told me 90% of people have fatty liver it's nothing to worry about your fine. 2 years later I go back to the ER and they are basically forcing me to the liver doctor. I am really confused. So...which is it?

[nash2 Partner]

You are a classic case of a critical problem with our physicians. I'll try to explain. Fat is the liver is benign, meaning it does no harm. Medical schools have taught this for years. That is true until it isn't. Today fatty liver is anything over 5% fat and it it called NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. At some point inflammation begins and scar tissue forms. It then become NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and stage 4 NASH is called cirrhosis. 30% of us have NAFLD, of those 20% will develop NASH, and 5% will develop cirrhosis. Going to a hepatologist is the proper step. You need an expert. The ER doc was just wrong. Diet is your best tool today. Lots of info on the website. Here is a link that might get you started.

fattyliverfoundation.org/diets

Wayne

[SpiceGirl21]

Today, it isn't understood either why some people with fatty liver progress to NAFLD, NASH and cirrhosis and others don't or why some people progress very quickly and others more slowly. Thankfully, there is a great deal of research going on to answer these questions as well as to develop medical treatments. The only treatment currently is weight loss, a healthy diet and being more active.

Nothing against PCPs (my dad was one), but they generally aren't up-to-date on fatty liver and still have the attitude that it's benign. If they could identify which patients would progress to serious liver disease, that would be fine. Unfortunately, they can't.

[Purmaple11]

Sadly, I am not the type of person who sticks with things, regardless how important it is. I feel I need the extra help to get me on the right track in order to lose weight and eat right...however, in my city there is 1, yes 1 nutritionist. I have left numerous messages stating my illness and that I need her help, nothing. Not even and eff you Im not interested. Im highly annoyed and beyond frustrated. How do people get help if no one is willing to help? I know I need the help, I do not have the will power to hold myself accountable. I know this, I recognize this and admit to it. Now Im trying to get the correct help but cant seem to get a call back.

[rnpath]

simply put fatty liver is bad but reversible,when you eliminate the cause,while left untreated may progress to cirrhosis which is irreversible

[confused71]

same happened to me --Never told my fatty liver was a problem 2 years pass by and I was told i needed a biopsy and told I had stage 2 Nash Why oh why does no-one tell you about the possibility of getting Nash from a fatty liver BEFORE It happens when you can avoid it ---its crazy .I now live my life scared stiff as I also have Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency which doesnt help