Patient's question:
My cousin is quite overweight, weighing over 200 pounds, but he's only 5'7" tall. He enjoys eating meat in his diet and tends to consume greasy foods, not to mention he's not very active. A few days ago, he felt discomfort in his abdomen, accompanied by pain and a sensation of nausea. He previously had fatty liver disease, and he's wondering if his condition has worsened again.Doctor's answer:
The symptoms of severe fatty liver are similar to those of chronic hepatitis, including loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and dull pain in the liver region or upper right abdomen. The liver may be slightly swollen with tenderness, a slightly firm texture, blunt edges, and a smooth surface. In very few cases, splenomegaly and palmar erythema may occur. When there is excessive fat deposition in the liver, the liver capsule can expand, and the liver ligaments can be stretched, leading to severe pain or tenderness in the upper right abdomen, fever, and leukocytosis. These symptoms are easily misdiagnosed as acute abdomen and may result in laparotomy. When fat droplets rupture, fat particles entering the bloodstream can also cause sudden death due to cerebral or pulmonary fat embolism.