Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)

About Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)

• It is liver inflammation and damage caused by a buildup of fat in the liver.
• It is part of a group of conditions called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
• NASH can get worse and cause scarring of the liver, which leads to cirrhosis. But the disease doesn’t always get worse.
• It is similar to the kind of liver disease that is caused by long-term, heavy drinking. But NASH occurs in people who don’t abuse alcohol.
• Symptoms: As NASH progresses and liver damage gets worse, you may start to have symptoms such as:
  • Fatigue (feeling tired all the time).
  • Weight loss for no clear reason.
  • General weakness.
  • An ache in the upper right part of your belly.
• Causes: Things that put people at risk for NASH and for liver damage include: obesity, Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high triglycerides, metabolic syndrome etc.
• Treatment for NASH includes managing conditions that increase your risk for NASH or make it worse. You can:
  • Reduce your total cholesterol level.
  • Reach a healthy weight. Losing 3% to 10% of your total body weight can make a difference.
  • Control diabetes.

Q1) What is the function of liver?

The liver is a critical organ in the human body that is responsible for an array of functions that help support metabolism, immunity, digestion, detoxification, vitamin storage among other functions.

Source: First drug to treat common, lethal liver disease gets US nod