Grade 1 fatty liver is often discovered by chance during the diagnosis of another disease. If not detected and treated promptly, grade 1 fatty liver disease can quickly progress to grade 2 or 3 and be more difficult to treat.
What is grade 1 fatty liver disease?
Fatty liver disease is a common condition that occurs when too much excess fat accumulates in the liver because the body cannot metabolize fat properly. Normally, it is normal for small amounts of certain fats to be present in the liver. But if the amount of fat accounts for 5% or more of the liver weight, it means the liver is fatty.
Fatty liver disease is divided into 3 levels: fatty liver disease level 1, level 2 and level 3. Level 1 fatty liver disease is the mildest level of fatty liver disease, occurring in the early stages when fat It has only been deposited around the outside surface of the liver and has not yet affected liver function. At this level, fat accounts for 5-10% of the weight of the liver.
On ultrasound, grade 1 fatty liver disease will show the following results: Diffusely increased liver echogenicity but periportal and diaphragmatic echogenicity is still significant.
Grade 1 fatty liver disease usually does not have much impact on health and can be cured if the patient strictly follows the doctor’s treatment instructions.
Symptoms of grade 1 fatty liver disease
Because level 1 fatty liver stage does not affect liver function , and the amount of fat accumulated is not much, the symptoms of level 1 fatty liver are often unclear and difficult to recognize. Patients often have no symptoms until the disease becomes more severe.
However, the disease may be detected by an abdominal ultrasound during the diagnosis of another disease or during a physical examination. At this time, doctors can detect grade 1 fatty liver disease through slight enlargement of the liver . Grade 1 fatty liver disease can also be diagnosed through liver function tests, CT scans, and MRIs.
Some patients may experience vague and non-specific symptoms, such as:
- Feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen
- Abdominal discomfort
- Fatigue with moderate exertion
- Abdominal pain in the liver area
As the disease progresses to a more severe level, patients may have symptoms such as:
- Reduce appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
- Jaundice
- Yellow eyes
- The abdomen is unusually swollen
- Leg swelling
- Extreme fatigue or mental confusion
- Confusion
- Increased bleeding tendency, easy bruising
- Increased levels of liver enzymes (AST – Aspartate Aminotransferase and ALT – Alanine transaminase), insulin and triglycerides
Causes of grade 1 fatty liver disease
There are many causes and risk factors for grade 1 fatty liver disease. Many people have grade 1 fatty liver disease without having any previous medical conditions, while some patients have had multiple medical conditions. increases the risk of fatty liver.
In general, the cause of grade 1 fatty liver can be due to:
1. Drink a lot of alcohol
The habit of drinking a lot of alcohol and alcoholic beverages is one of the common causes of grade 1 fatty liver disease. Consuming too much alcohol puts the liver at high risk of damage, causing fat accumulation in the liver. . Even people who drink little alcohol still have a high risk of getting the disease. Grade 1 fatty liver disease can occur immediately after a few days of heavy drinking.
2. Other causes
In addition to alcohol, other causes of grade 1 fatty liver include:
- Overweight, obese
- Having excess belly fat (visceral obesity)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Insulin resistance – high insulin levels and insulin resistance increase the risk of fat deposition in the liver
- Have metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels)
- Elderly people
- Taking certain prescription medications, such as amiodarone (Cordarone®), diltiazem (Cardizem®), tamoxifen (Nolvadex®), or steroids
- Sleep apnea due to obstructed airways
- Consume a diet rich in carbohydrates, fats, and grease
- Drink lots of sweetened drinks and soft drinks
- Imbalance of intestinal bacteria.
Treatment methods for grade 1 fatty liver disease
What are the medications to treat grade 1 fatty liver? Normally, grade 1 fatty liver disease is a mild, benign disease and can be treated if detected early and treated promptly. Currently, there is no specific treatment for fatty liver disease in general and grade 1 fatty liver disease in particular. According to experts, for the early stages of this disease, no special surgery is needed because other treatments are enough to reverse fatty liver. However, if the disease is more severe, surgery may be required.
The treatment method for stage 1 fatty liver recommended by experts is to adopt a healthy diet, increase physical activity, control weight, blood sugar and triglycerides:
- Eat healthy: Patients need to reduce calories by 15-20%, reduce refined carbohydrates (sugar, starch, white rice, white bread…), avoid fat, soft drinks, fast food, and lots of oil. fat. Patients need to supplement more fiber by eating lots of fruits and vegetables.
- Absolutely abstain from alcohol and alcoholic beverages: Patients must absolutely not drink alcohol to prevent the progression of grade 1 fatty liver disease.
- Safe weight loss: Studies show that losing 10% of body weight can reduce liver fat, reduce inflammation and may reduce liver scarring .
- Controlling diabetes: People with diabetes should take their medications as prescribed and plan their diet with expert advice to prevent spikes in sugar levels.
- Control cholesterol and blood fats: Take prescription medications and eat regularly to control cholesterol and triglycerides.
- Increase movement , walking, and exercise according to your doctor’s advice.
Does grade 1 fatty liver disease have a major impact on health? How to prevent it?
Many people often wonder whether grade 1 fatty liver has a major impact on health and how to prevent it? The answer will be right here, don’t miss it.
1. Does grade 1 fatty liver have a major impact on health?
As mentioned above, level 1 fatty liver is the first stage of the disease that does not affect liver function, so the level of danger and harm to the body is also lowest compared to levels 2 or 3.
In fact, grade 1 fatty liver disease is not too dangerous, but you should not be subjective and need to follow your doctor’s treatment and disease control instructions. The reason is because if not treated and controlled well, this condition can lead to fatty liver level 2, 3. This can lead to dangerous complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer… Damage to liver function, increasing the risk of death.
If you are diagnosed with fatty liver, you need to follow home treatment instructions and have annual health checks. This helps doctors monitor and treat your disease progression (if any) effectively.
2. How to prevent fatty liver?
Preventing fatty liver disease in general and grade 1 fatty liver disease in particular is extremely necessary. The best way to avoid fatty liver disease is to do things that help maintain overall health:
- Control your weight within an appropriate range, avoid being overweight, obese or underweight
- Eat a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables
- Limit eating fast food, fried foods, and fried foods
- Exercise regularly
- Limit consumption or say “no” to alcohol
- Take medicine as prescribed by your doctor to control diabetes, blood fat, cholesterol…
