With the continuous improvement of living standards, people's eating habits have greatly changed, and foods with high calorie and high metabolism are becoming the protagonist on the table. In recent years, fatty liver has become more common in China, and its incidence rate has gradually increased. On July 28th, the 11th World Hepatitis Day, industry insiders said that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has become a serious public health problem in China, and the general public and medical personnel still need to improve their awareness of it. Without intervention, some patients may develop fatty hepatitis or even liver cancer, which requires urgent attention.
How common is fatty liver?
The reporter learned from an interview at the Liver Disease Clinic of Beijing You'an Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University that in recent years, the incidence of nonalcoholic liver injury and drug-induced liver injury such as fatty liver has increased and is younger.
Mr. Dong, a 36 year old patient with abnormal lipid metabolism and fatty liver disease, came for further consultation. Yu Hongwei, a liver disease expert and director of the outpatient department of Beijing You'an Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that fatty liver is a common complication of dyslipidemia. Due to the relatively lagging prevention measures in China, the incidence rate of dyslipidemia with fatty liver is increasing year by year, and the patients are younger.
Yu Hongwei said, "Most patients are diagnosed with fatty liver through physical examination. Due to the fact that there are almost no symptoms in the early stage of the disease, many patients ignore it, and some physical examination doctors do not provide effective reminders."
Mr. Dong told reporters that he had fatty liver disease discovered during a physical examination at his unit two years ago, and he didn't take it seriously. There was no change in daily entertainment and drinking. It was not until the first half of this year that I felt unwell in my right upper abdomen that I came to the hospital for an examination. Finally, I learned that I had developed severe fatty liver with abnormal blood lipids.
Yang Xizhong, executive vice president of the China Hepatitis Prevention Foundation, introduced that the data of the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Non alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (2018 Update) issued by the Fatty Liver and Alcoholic Liver Disease Study Group of the Hepatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association in conjunction with the Fatty Liver Disease Expert Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association showed that the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in China was as high as 25%, and the number of patients had exceeded hepatitis B, Has become a serious public health problem in our country.
How does fatty liver become hepatitis?
Liu Ruyu, Deputy Chief Physician of the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital, introduced that fatty liver can develop into hepatitis, which may lead to liver cancer. It can be roughly divided into four stages: simple fatty liver, fatty hepatitis, liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
"The first stage is simple fatty liver, which is caused by the body's intake or synthesis of excessive fat, which accumulates in liver cells, making them 'fat'." Liu Ruyu said, with the improvement of living standards and changes in dietary habits, most patients are currently in this stage. "When liver cells become" fat "beyond their tolerance, they will rupture and necrosis, leading to liver damage and abnormal liver function. At this point, fatty hepatitis develops.".
Experts recommend that when patients with fatty liver have liver function tests such as glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxalic transaminase γ- "If one or more of the glutamyltranspeptidases is in a long-term elevated state, it may belong to fatty hepatitis.". Liu Ruyu said that if patients with fatty hepatitis are not treated in a timely manner, long-term inflammation can lead to scar-like fibrous tissue in the liver, causing fibrosis, making the liver rough and hard, and even cirrhosis. It is suggested that people with abnormal liver function should be vigilant when B-ultrasound reports indicate that liver parenchyma echo is thickened and dense, or there is diffuse liver disease.
Prolonged liver fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis. Liu Ruyu said that research has shown that patients with liver cirrhosis caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis have an 11.3% risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma within 5 years. Liu Ruyu said, "Patients with liver cirrhosis or various types of hepatitis should regularly take blood for testing alpha fetoprotein and undergo screening in combination with liver B-ultrasound. If abnormal levels occur for several consecutive weeks, attention should be paid to being vigilant."
Fatty liver can be reversed
According to experts, compared to viral hepatitis, patients with fatty liver can actually be partially reversed through diet and exercise. It is necessary to avoid liver injury behaviors such as long-term alcohol consumption, and pay attention to sugar control, eating more dietary fiber, and exercising more.
Avoid long-term dieting and vegetarianism. Experts say that if you lose weight by dieting or being strictly vegetarian for a long time, it can lead to malnutrition and a decrease in the body's apolipoprotein, which can instead promote the accumulation of fat in the liver.
In addition, it is necessary to avoid indiscriminate consumption of drugs and health products. Nowadays, many people pay more and more attention to health, so their expectations are pinned on health care drugs. "Long term indiscriminate consumption of drugs and health products can bring a huge burden to the liver, which may lead to drug-induced liver injury." Yu Hongwei said, "Drug-induced liver injury is one of the most common and serious adverse drug reactions, and severe cases can lead to acute liver failure or even death."
Experts suggest that you should control the intake of sugar in your daily diet. "Sugar and lipids can be converted into each other in the body. Patients with fatty liver can also worsen fatty liver if they only eat less food with high fat content and do not pay attention to sugar restriction." Liu Ruyu said, "Eat more dietary fiber and exercise more.". Dietary fiber in foods such as vegetables and fruits can improve insulin resistance, slow fat absorption, and promote cholesterol excretion.
