Cirrhosis of the liver can come as a result of fatty liver disease (FLD). What is FLD? In particular, a process which is known as steatosis is involved. Through this, triglycerides build up in cells of the person's liver.

Symptoms

Normally, patients with this condition do not present symptoms, and the fatty liver disease is detected when something clinically shows up, such as unusual results in a liver function test. However, there are complications that can occur, including cirrhosis. There is a complications section later on this page.

Causes

Various medical reasons can be behind FLD. Abuse of alcohol (drinking excessively) is one possibility. Having metabolic syndrome is another one. Inflammatory bowel disease is something else that can lead to fatty liver disease. It can also be brought on by hepatitis C, and this is particularly the case when genotype 3 of the virus is the one that is involved. Many other issues can lead to it, including certain medications, nutritional problems, and more.

Diagnosis

Usually, a doctor ends up diagnosing a case of fatty liver disease after the situation was unintentionally found out. This may occur, for example, when liver enzymes are found to be increased, or the liver is noted as being enlarged. Since most cases of this condition are without symptoms, the person does not normally complain of symptoms leading to a specific search for FLD, prior to certain clinical things being noted. Different methods of imaging can also be used in the diagnosis. Ultrasound technology is one of these options, while other options are also available. However, if it is the severity of the situation that is trying to be determined, then a liver biopsy might be necessary.

Treatment

After diagnosis, the doctor will take certain things into consideration when selecting a method of treatment for the person. For instance, the medical situation behind the fatty liver disease is considered. Therefore, there will be significant differences between the treatment methods used in different situations where this disease is present.

Complications

Cirrhosis of the liver is a complication that may arise from a case of FLD. Hepatocellular carcinoma is another possibility. This is a liver cancer, and in fact is the most frequently-seen cancer of that particular organ.

The main page of this site details more information about cirrhosis of the liver.