Teetotallers can also suffer from fatty liver disease.
The popular perception is that alcohol consumption can lead to fatty liver. But research over the years has shown that non-alcoholic fatty liver is one of the most common diseases in the world, doctors said at the launch of a liver clinic at Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals.
The clinic will focus on detecting asymptomatic fatty liver and its treatment.
Liver cirrhosis is the final stage of fatty liver disease and the solution often is a liver transplant.
“In India and the rest of the world, it is possibly the commonest disease. Data from multiple sources show that one-third to one-fourth of the population suffers from fatty liver. So, if you look at 130 crore people... at least 35 crore in the country are suffering from fatty liver. Around 10 per cent of them will progress (to liver cirrhosis),” said Mahesh K. Goenka, who heads the Institute of Gastrosciences and Liver Transplant at Apollo.
“When I am talking about 25 to 30 per cent, I am talking about the general population. If you look at those who are high-risk — suffering from diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol-related problems — the incidence is almost 60 per cent.... If you belong to that high-risk category, you should have regular check-ups. The check-ups should include a liver function test and an ultrasound. Just these two will pick up a good percentage of patients,” he said.
Though fatty liver disease is more common in adults, it is also found in children with diabetes and obesity.
Early detection is key to cure. “The cure is three-fold. One is diet control and weight loss, the second one is exercise and the third one is medication,” said Goenka.