What Is The Difference Between Fatty Liver and Fibrosis?

What is fatty liver?

Fatty liver, also called fatty liver disease or fatty infiltration, occurs when fat builds up in your liver cells. Over time, this buildup can lead to scarring and damage as well as inflammation of the liver. Fatty infiltration is a common disorder that causes no symptoms most of the time. However, fatty infiltration increases your chance of developing serious health problems such as cirrhosis and hepatitis if you have a chronic form of fatty infiltration. This article will discuss fatty infiltration and its complications further regarding Fibrosis during treatment.

What is Fibrosis?

Fibrosis is caused by an abnormal build-up of fibrous tissue in organs or body parts where it doesn’t belong, leading to scarring, stiffening, and/or loss of function. This build-up can happen at any age, but it’s most common in adults between 30 to 60 years old. Fibrosis occurs when an organ is exposed repeatedly or severely injured over a long period of time. Examples are your heart, lungs, or kidneys (the three major organs usually get fibrosis). Still, fatty infiltration increases the chance of fatty liver developing into Fibrosis during treatment because fatty infiltration accumulates fat cells, leading to scar tissue formation if fatty infiltration is not treated at the beginning stages. Symptoms may vary depending on what part of the body has fatty infiltration (lungs, kidneys, etc.)

What are the symptoms of Fibrosis and FLD?

Symptoms include:

– Shortness of breath during physical activity such as climbing a flight of stairs, walking to work, or playing with kids. This may become severe over time and limit your ability to perform routine tasks. Some people develop chest pain when they attempt to exercise or breathe deeply.

– Swelling in the legs and feet due to fluid buildup (this often happens due to fatty infiltration). The swelling can occur suddenly and may be accompanied by weight gain, fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea.)

– Dark urine that smells bad (due to fatty infiltration damaging internal organs)

How does the doctor diagnose fatty liver? Fibrosis? FLD? How are they connected?

The most common way doctors diagnose fatty infiltration is through a physical exam and paying attention to any fatty infiltration-related health problems you are suffering from. Blood tests can also check for fatty infiltration, but this is not as effective as a physical exam because fatty infiltration can cause several other issues that aren’t common fatty infiltration-related symptoms such as losing weight, nausea, etc. If fatty liver disease has been diagnosed already, your doctor may suggest an ultrasound or CT scan detect fatty buildup in your liver cells. These imaging tests are more effective than blood tests because they provide detailed images of fatty accumulation in different body parts (liver, kidneys, lungs, etc.) Fibrosis has no set diagnostic procedures; however, it is identified by noting any abnormal skin color changes on the extremities such as the hands, feet, or face. Often fatty infiltration is a risk factor for Fibrosis and FLD. Still, fatty infiltration does not always lead to Fibrosis during treatment because fatty infiltration can be reversed with a healthy diet and lifestyle changes.

How are fatty liver disease and Fibrosis related?

Complications from fatty infiltration may develop into more serious issues, including inflammation of the liver (liver damage), cirrhosis of the liver (scarring of the liver), and Hepatitis (inflammation in the liver). Sometimes fatty infiltration can increase fat levels in the blood, which causes heart problems, so it’s important to keep it under control before it’s too late. If fatty infiltration has already developed into Fibrosis, scar tissue has already started to build in your fatty infiltration affected organ, which means fatty infiltration will not be reversed. Fibrosis cannot be cured, but it can easily be treated with medication, lifestyle changes, or surgery (depending on the severity of fatty infiltration.)

How are fatty liver disease and Fibrosis diagnosed?

The most common way doctors diagnose fatty infiltration is through a physical exam and paying attention to any fatty infiltration-related health problems you are suffering from. Blood tests can also be used to check for fatty infiltration, but this is not as effective as a physical exam because fatty infiltration can cause other issues that aren’t common fatty infiltration-related symptoms such as losing weight, nausea, etc. If fatty liver disease has been diagnosed already, your doctor may suggest an ultrasound or CT scan detect fatty buildup in your liver cells. These imaging tests are more effective than blood tests because they provide detailed images of fatty accumulation in different body parts (liver, kidneys, lungs, etc.) Fibrosis has no set diagnostic procedures; however, it is identified by noting any abnormal skin color changes on the extremities such as the hands, feet, or face. Often fatty infiltration is a risk factor for Fibrosis and FLD. Still, fatty infiltration does not always lead to Fibrosis during treatment because fatty infiltration can be reversed with a healthy diet and lifestyle changes.