Scientists from Karolinska Institutet found that people with fatty liver disease are expected to live almost three years shorter than the general population.
The research is published in the journal Hepatology and was conducted by Ying Shang et al.
Fatty liver is an increased build-up of fat in the liver. Major risk factors include obesity and type 2 diabetes, though it’s also associated with excessive alcohol consumption.
It usually causes no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they include fatigue, weight loss, and abdominal pain.
Treatment involves reducing the risk factors such as obesity through a diet and exercise program. It is generally a benign condition, but in a minority of patients, it can progress to liver failure (cirrhosis).
In the study, the team examined a very large group of patients with fatty liver (> 10,000). We were able to identify all patients with fatty liver in Sweden and compare these with the general population.
People who have been diagnosed with so-called fatty liver, run an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and loss in life expectancy, compared to the general population.
These patients have approximately a 2.8 years shorter expected survival, based on collected data from a large number of Swedish patients.
However, the risk of death after a heart attack or stroke is still comparable to people without fatty liver.
The team says patients with fatty liver are at the highest risk for developing serious complications such as heart disease, death, cirrhosis and cancer.
The results of the study are important because they can be used to facilitate the communication between health care workers and patients with fatty liver.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about a new therapy for fatty liver disease, and 5 big myths about liver detoxing you should know.
For more information about liver disease, please see recent studies about oral diseases linked to a 75% increase in liver cancer risk, and results showing common beer plant may help treat colon and liver cancer.
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