Unhealthy meals and a sedentary life might be deadly.
If alcohol consumption may affect the well being of your liver, a sedentary life-style, a excessive calorie diet and extra fat related to weight problems and excessive blood sugar might be equally detrimental. That Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and its superior kind, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) instances are steadily rising is worrying doctors.
“We are used to hearing about alcohol-related liver damage; however, NAFLD is now steadily becoming a leading contributor to cirrhosis, liver transplantation, and mortality. It is extremely critical to educate the public on the fact that while excess alcohol causes damage to our liver, a sedentary lifestyle, overeating and a high calorie diet such as processed sugar is almost as bad as the damage from alcohol, making it an equal contributor to liver diseases today,” mentioned N Murugan, Hepatologist and Transplant Physician, Apollo Hospitals.
Globally, the prevalence of NAFLD is estimated to be round 25% (22%-28%), whereas the prevalence in Asia is round 27% (22% – 32%), he mentioned, including: “However, we have seen the trend to be much higher in India with prevalence among adults at 39% and among children at 35%.”
“We have observed that among a cohort of over three lakh persons who underwent health checks at Apollo Hospitals in the last year – that includes both urban and rural population – 23% were found to have a fatty liver condition. Of these, three-quarters of the people did not have a history of consuming any alcohol, indicating that factors beyond alcohol consumption contribute significantly to this disease,” he wrote in an e-mail.
NASH is a complicated type of NAFLD, R. Surendran, former director, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, identified. “Throughout the world, it is increasing at an alarming rate. About 6.5% of the total population had NAFLD irrespective of age and 20% of this has already gone into NASH. The prevalence of NASH will lead on to cirrhosis of liver and later, liver cancer,” he mentioned.
He added that the distinction between NAFLD and NASH was the presence of irritation in the liver in NASH.
Ok. Premkumar, affiliate professor, Hepatology and director in-charge, Institute of Hepatobiliary Sciences, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, mentioned that NASH was a large spectrum of disease severity, together with fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. “The global prevalence of NASH is estimated between two and six per cent in the general population,” he mentioned.
Awareness of NAFLD remained low amongst sufferers and healthcare suppliers, he mentioned. “It is an asymptomatic and slowly progressive disease, both in adults and in children, but fibrosis rapidly progresses in 20% of cases. It is diagnosed only when individuals undergo routine health screening or is incidentally detected during some other evaluation. This is the diagnostic challenge that we and patients face in the early stages,” he added.
Currently, NAFLD is rising in India and can also be turning into one of many vital causes for finish stage liver disease for which liver transplantation is the healing choice, he noticed.
“A major contributor for NAFLD in India are metabolic risk factors related to an inactive lifestyle and a high consumption of calories especially carbs and fats. In my personal experience as a liver transplant physician, the cases of NAFLD leading to transplants are almost at par with alcoholic liver disease-led transplants today,” Dr. Murugan identified.
Dr. Surendran mentioned that it was alarming to see that fifty% of diabetics, 75% of overweight individuals and 100% of overweight and diabetics have NAFLD. Even non-obese individuals can develop NAFLD and NASH due to lack of bodily exercise and junk meals. Childhood weight problems is rising at an alarming price on account of consumption of junk meals, he mentioned.
“As obesity, diabetes and hypothyroidism are the major players, controlling them would resolve this. Avoiding saturated fat, controlling weight and increasing physical activity are essential,” he mentioned.
