Fatty liver disease & NASH
What is NASH?
Your fatty liver disease could already be NASH with liver scarring. NASH or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a serious form of fatty liver disease. It occurs when the fat in the liver becomes toxic to you, damaging liver cells and making the liver inflamed. As the liver reacts to these changes, it gets scarred. This scarring is called fibrosis.
NASH could lead to more
serious conditions like:
Cirrhosis
~1 in 5 people with NASH and advanced scarring will develop cirrhosis in as little as ~2 years.
Liver cancer
~1 in 8 people with NASH and cirrhosis will develop liver cancer in less than 4 years—but liver cancer can also occur in people who have NASH without cirrhosis.
Need for transplant
NASH is the leading cause of liver transplants in women, and the second leading cause in men.
Liver cancer
~1 in 8 people with NASH and cirrhosis will develop liver cancer in less than 4 years—but liver cancer can also occur in people who have NASH without cirrhosis.
Shortened life span
NASH may shorten life expectancy.
people with fatty liver disease have NASH.
90% of adults with NASH don’t know they have it. Now there is a treatment that may be able to help.
Find out if you have NASH. Talk to your liver specialist about getting tested.
Stages of NASH & symptoms
NASH is progressive
Since you can’t see your liver, it’s hard to know the damage that NASH could be causing. Although symptoms of NASH often go unnoticed, some people have reported feeling tired or feeling discomfort in the upper-right side of their abdomen.
Some people’s fatty liver disease may progress faster than others
If NASH is allowed to go undetected and unmanaged for too long it can scar and damage your liver, leaving you at risk for serious health issues. So, get tested if you think you may have NASH.
See how NASH progresses
Testing for NASH
It’s important to get your liver checked for scarring—here’s why
Testing can help determine if your liver has any damage and if you have NASH with scarring. If you have NASH, regular monitoring may be needed to check if your liver has developed scarring. Take care of your liver health by talking to your liver specialist about testing.
If you have type 2 diabetes or are very overweight (obese), you are at a higher risk for having NASH.
You should also talk to your liver specialist if you have any of the following conditions:
- High blood pressure
- High triglycerides
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
It’s recommended that if you have one of these conditions or type 2 diabetes you should get your liver checked for scarring every 1 to 2 years.
Types of tests
Even if you’ve had a blood test for liver enzymes or an ultrasound, you may need other tests to measure fat buildup and scarring (fibrosis) linked to NASH. Ask your liver specialist about these tests:
Blood-based tests can help measure liver enzymes, advanced scarring, and the risk of the disease worsening. Some examples are FIB-4, ELF, and ALT/AST
Imaging and scanning tests can help measure liver stiffness/scarring and fat. Some examples are FibroScan, MRI, and ultrasound technologies
Liver biopsy may be necessary if other tests don’t provide a clear result. In a biopsy, a small sample of liver tissue is taken using a needle and examined in a lab to look for signs of inflammation and scarring
ALT=alanine transaminase; AST=aspartate aminotransferase; ELF=enhanced liver fibrosis; FIB-4=Fibrosis-4; MRI=magnetic resonance imaging.
Working with the right specialist
It may be important to find a doctor who specializes in NASH, especially if your current doctor isn’t familiar with the tests that check for NASH and scarring or can’t answer all of your questions. Below are different types of specialists that can help identify and manage NASH:
Hepatologists diagnose and treat various conditions associated with the liver. They treat acute or chronic liver disease, ranging from fatty liver disease to NASH to cirrhosis to liver cancer. Hepatologists also provide care before and after liver transplants.
Gastroenterologists diagnose and treat conditions affecting your digestive system, including the liver. Some gastroenterologists make liver care their focus.
Nurse Practitioners (NP) and Physician Assistants (PA) may be on your liver specialist’s staff and can help with diagnosing, educating patients, and prescribing treatments.
Now Approved
Picture more for your liver health with Rezdiffra for NASH with liver scarring.
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