Fatty liver disease can be categorized into two type namely alcoholic liver disease or ALD and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease shortly called as NAFLD. Fat particles are present in the liver for all people, but when the total fat accumulated in the liver counts for more than 10% of your weight then you have fatty liver.
Causes Of Fatty Liver
ALD :
- Millions of people around the word have alcoholic liver disease. These people are drinking alcohol constantly in large amounts. More than 95% of alcoholics develop fatty liver disease.
- You can also inherit fatty liver disease if your parent is alcoholic. You have more chance of becoming alcoholic than others.
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease can develop due to liver inflammation (hepatitis C infection), consuming excess of iron and fat rich diet.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) :
People who do not drink alcohol can also get fatty liver disease and that too without any symptoms. Fat gets accumulated in the liver gradually causing swelling of liver. In extreme cases it can cause liver failure or death. This is the most common type of liver disease in USA and in many other countries. Recently it has been reported that NAFLD can lead to heart disease and even children who are obese are at high risk of developing fatty liver.
The main cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver is the liver will not be able to break down fats leading to accumulation of fat inside it. In some cases this condition will not cause any complications. Steatohepatitis is a type of fatty liver disease in which the built-in fatty particles cause inflammation of the liver impairing its function. In severe cases liver inflammation can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver failure causing death.