Let's talk about fatty liver

With the improvement of living standards, fatty liver has become a common disease among urban residents. Among them, the most common and most easily overlooked is metabolic-related fatty liver disease.

| What is metabolic fatty liver disease?

As the name suggests, metabolic-related fatty liver disease is a disease in which fat accumulates abnormally in the liver due to metabolic disorders. The disease has now become the number one chronic liver disease in my country, bringing a heavy burden to the health industry and human health.

| Why does metabolic-related fatty liver disease occur?

The first is irregular lifestyle. The fast pace of modern life, the common phenomenon of staying up late, the high intake of fried and puffed foods, coupled with long-term sitting and lack of exercise, have led to an increasing incidence of the disease year by year.

| What are the clinical manifestations of metabolic-related fatty liver disease?

The disease is very hidden. In other words, the biggest clinical feature of the disease is that it has no special manifestations. A few patients may have mild discomfort in the right upper abdomen, dull pain in the liver area or upper abdominal distension, fatigue and other non-specific symptoms. Some patients may have an enlarged liver, and most patients will have obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and (or) hypertension.

| What are the diagnostic criteria for metabolic-related fatty liver disease?

The diagnosis of metabolic-related fatty liver disease includes "one basis and three conditions". The basis is that liver biopsy histology, imaging or blood biomarkers and other examinations indicate fatty liver, and the three conditions refer to meeting one of the following three items at the same time: overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction.

What kind of people are likely to have metabolic dysfunction?

1. Waist circumference: male ≥ 90cm, female ≥ 80cm;

2. Blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg, receiving antihypertensive medication;

3. Blood triglyceride ≥1.70mmol/L or receiving lipid-lowering drug treatment;

4. Those with elevated plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: <1.0 and 1.3 mmol/L for men and women respectively, and patients receiving lipid-lowering drug treatment;

5. For patients with unstable blood sugar, fasting blood sugar is 5.6-6.9mmol/L or 2-hour postprandial blood sugar is 7.8-11.0mmol/L or glycosylated hemoglobin is 5.7-6.4%.

6. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index: ≥2.5; 7. Blood high-sensitivity C-reactive protein>2mg/L.

Do we have any good treatment for this disease? Metabolic fatty liver disease is a slowly progressive disease. Because it is difficult to determine the best treatment endpoint, there is no specific drug treatment. Domestic guidelines recommend that patients with combined T2DM, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc. should be given corresponding insulin sensitizers, antihypertensive drugs, and weight loss and lipid-lowering drugs. Patients with liver damage and progressive liver fibrosis can choose liver protection, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc., and can also selectively use traditional Chinese medicine at different stages of the disease.

Therefore, metabolic-related fatty liver disease is a disease that is better to be prevented than cured. We need to have regular physical examinations, follow the doctor's advice, adjust our work and rest schedule, control our weight, and insist on exercising to prevent it from getting worse and fight this battle to protect a healthy liver!