Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver, preventing hepatocytes from performing their functions.
Diagnosis of NAFLD requires a complex of measures, which, first and foremost, involves a doctor's consultation, who will determine the scope of laboratory and instrumental examinations.
Liver disease, regardless of the etiological factor, goes through a series of states – from acute, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis to cirrhosis-cancer. Any of these conditions are life-threatening. Since the liver does not have nerve endings (they are only in the capsule), a person does not feel pain. Therefore, the disease is often discovered accidentally, when cirrhosis has already formed. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important.
If necessary, in addition to general clinical examinations, the doctor will prescribe:
- fibrotest (allows to find out the stage of fibrosis both quantitatively and graphically, to verify viral and rarer liver lesions);
- esophagogastroduodenofibroscopy;
- ultrasound examination, if necessary with biopsy;
- elastography (a non-invasive method of assessing the presence or degree of fibrosis);
- computer tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging.
Treatment includes the correction of conditions associated with NAFLD, namely: insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism disorders, etc.
The prognosis for early diagnosis and adequate treatment is mostly favorable.
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Kalyna. Centre of Modern Medicine