Metabolic liver disease, known as fatty liver, is a chronic pathology that causes a progressive accumulation of abnormally high amounts of fat in the liver and for which, at the moment, there is no cure.
Again we are talking about an asymptomatic but serious disease, since it can cause inflammatory diseases such as:
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liver fibrosis
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Cirrhosis
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Liver cancer.
And the progression of this pathology, which already affects 1 in 4 Spaniards, worries the specialists of the .
The reason for the concern is in the numbers offered by hepatologists:
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In total figures, more than ten million people in Spain have fatty liver, of which close to two million would present inflammation of the liver (steatohepatitis) and 400,0000 would already present liver cirrhosis.
An unstoppable advance that is especially worrying in adolescents and young people, a segment in which recent studies have estimated that up to eight out of ten overweight people already have fatty liver, and are at risk of developing cirrhosis at an early age.
Obesity and overweight, origin of fatty liver
Obesity and overweight are precisely, together with type 2 diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure, the main risk factors for metabolic liver disease.
The prevalence of this disease worldwide is estimated to be around 25%.
But really, specialists warn that the prevalence of metabolic liver disease among the population is difficult to determine, and is probably underestimated as it is a disease that does not produce any symptoms until it is in very advanced stages.
In Spain, it is estimated to be 25.8%, being higher among patients with obesity or metabolic syndrome.
Fatty liver and liver cancer
One of the consequences of developing fatty liver is that it can lead to . The AEEH experts stress that this type of tumor in patients with fatty liver in Spain has tripled in the last decade.
But not only that. This trend suggests that fatty liver will become one of the main causes of liver cancer in the coming years.
In fact, metabolic liver disease is already the second cause of liver transplantation in countries like the United States. And in Spain, as in the rest of the European countries, the cases are increasing every year.
As highlighted by the president of the AEEH, José Luis Calleja:
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“The presence of liver cancer in patients with fatty liver in Spain has tripled in the last decade, and with these data everything is said about the magnitude of the problem that we must face.”
For all these reasons, demand specialists demand a Strategic Plan for Liver Disease and Public Health policies more determined to combat the eating habits and lifestyles that are behind the progression of this epidemic in the younger population.
They also ask for a greater effort in screening and early diagnosis, as well as a greater allocation of public funds for research.
Liver diseases today
“Liver diseases are clearly growing worldwide in terms of morbidity and mortality. They represent, to this day, one of the main causes of lost years of working life and quality of life”, explains Dr. Calleja.
“The number of deaths from cirrhosis in the world has gone from 1.9% to 2.4% between 2009 and 2016. And these figures will increase, as its prevalence is growing more and more and in young people,” warns this expert .
The challenge: an early diagnosis
Liver diseases carry, for the most part, a significant stigma for those who suffer from them, since they are mainly associated with alcohol consumption and obesity.
This causes the patients themselves to silence their illness.
In addition, they are silent pathologies, which barely generate specific symptoms and are diagnosed in advanced stages, when they have progressed to fibrosis or, in the worst case, to cirrhosis, which makes it difficult to reverse liver damage.
“The challenge is to diagnose earlier and to know which patients progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis, and how and when they do so, would allow us to search for therapeutic targets to stop the progression of the disease.”
But for that we need research, both basic and clinical, which should be one of the fundamental ‘legs’ of the Strategy to combat this disease, the specialists maintain.
In the case of fatty liver disease, experts point out that a multidisciplinary approach is also needed.
“In the absence of a curative treatment, it becomes even more necessary to optimize the strategies that have been shown to be efficient in preventing the progression of the disease: weight reduction and exercise. But for this, Multidisciplinary Units are needed, where there are specialists who can prescribe diet and physical exercise (Liver Rehabilitation Units) aimed at achieving the results that are needed”, they state.
Prevention of fatty liver
In the absence of drugs that act on fatty liver, the only way to avoid it is prevention, based on diet and lifestyle.
Specific:
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Change the type of diet, which must follow the Mediterranean pattern. That is, fruits, vegetables, oily fish, olive oil or whole grains must be present in the daily menu.
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Avoid simple sugars, sugary drinks or fructose.
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The consumption of saturated fats is completely ruled out.
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End a sedentary lifestyle by performing physical exercise (aerobic or anaerobic) daily.