Symptoms of non alcoholic fatty liver disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a range of liver conditions that are not caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Instead, these happen as a result of build up of fat in the liver.
The liver performs more than 500 bodily functions including converting food consumed into energy as well as removing toxins from your blood. It is important to timely diagnose fatty liver disease as it can result in complications across the body.
What is liver cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis is the most severe stage of fatty liver disease. It occurs after years of inflammation of the liver, making it scarred, lumpy and shrunken. This long-term liver damage results in scar tissue replacing healthy tissue in the liver. This prevents your liver from working properly. The damage caused by cirrhosis can eventually lead to liver failure. Here are some signs that may indicate you have a liver problem.
Sign while brushing your teeth
Gum bleeding while brushing your teeth could be a sign that you have a severe stage of fatty liver disease. This is because the condition can cause you to bleed or bruise more easily. Similarly, you may also experience more frequent nose bleeds. NAFLD is also associated with tooth loss and periodontitis – a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue around teeth. Making healthy lifestyle choices may help to stop your symptoms from getting worse.
Read more: 10 times blood sugar builds up surreptitiously (mostly due to these unhealthy habits)
Other symptoms
- As your liver loses its ability to function properly, you're likely to experience the following symptoms as well:
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Itchy skin
Later stage symptoms
In the later stages of fatty liver disease, you may experience troubling symptoms like jaundice, vomiting blood, dark and tarry-looking stools, buildup of fluid in the legs and abdomen, tiredness and weakness, weight loss and muscle wasting, tenderness or pain around the liver area, tiny red lines (blood capillaries) on the skin above waist level, hair loss, and fever and shivering attacks.
Risk factors
The risk factors associated with the development of fatty liver disease include type 2 diabetes, underactive thyroid, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, having metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity), being over the age of 50, and smoking. Obesity or being overweight is also a risk factor, particularly if you have a lot of fat around your waist.
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