Patient's question:
My older brother is a chef, and he's constantly exposed to grease and smoke. His daily diet is also very greasy, so he's quite overweight. At 5'5" (168 cm), he weighs around 180 pounds, with particularly thick layers of fat around his waist. A few days ago, he found out he has moderate fatty liver disease.Doctor's answer:
One of the dangers of fatty liver is that it can progress to cirrhosis because the long-term accumulation of fat in liver cells disrupts their blood supply, oxygen supply, and self-degradation and metabolism, leading to significant swelling, inflammation, and suppuration of liver cells. Once fibrosis and pseudolobules form in the liver, cirrhosis develops. In foreign countries, 30% of alcoholic fatty liver can progress to hepatic fibrosis, and 10% to 40% can progress to cirrhosis. Heavy drinking can lead to cirrhosis within 20 years, but sometimes cirrhosis can also develop with lower alcohol consumption and shorter durations. Nearly 60% of chronic alcoholics develop fatty liver, and 20% to 30% will eventually progress to cirrhosis.