Fatty liver disease on the rise among young adults
According to a recent study published in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, one in five young people has heart disease fatty liver –also known as steatosis–, and one in 40 has already developed fibrosis (liver scarring). The scientific work is the first to try to determine the prevalence of fatty liver disease and fibrosis in healthy young adults in the UK.
Fatty liver disease is a condition in which fats accumulate in liver cells. It is classified into two different types. On the one hand there is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is usually suffered by people who are overweight or obesity, Y, on the other, alcohol-related fatty liver diseasel, which is associated with harmful levels of consumption of this substance.
If left untreated, both can cause fibrosis and, in severe cases, can lead to a fearsome cirrhosis of the liver; something that is irreversible. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease affects about 25 percent of adults in developed countries.
The study of fatty liver disease
On this occasion, the research has been carried out by specialists from the University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, and in it the data collected from 4.021 participants in the Children of the 90s study were examined. The health study participants, who had previously been screened for NAFLD as teenagers using ultrasound, were invited for an assessment using transient elastography.
The researchers first looked at participants who did not report harmful alcohol use and found that one in five had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Expanding the data to include all participants, they again found that more than 20 percent showed evidence of fatty liver and one in 40 had already developed fibrosis. Those participants who had both fatty liver and harmful alcohol use were at higher risk of liver scarring. By comparison, at 17 years of age, 2,5 percent of participants had moderate to severe levels of fatty liver, while at age 24 this number increased to 13 percent.
In the opinion of the study authors, “Children's data from the 90s have highlighted the potential importance of liver health among young adults. This age group remains a blind spot for clinicians, as they are generally considered a healthy age group that is rarely studied. If the obesity epidemic and culture of alcohol abuse are not addressed nationally, we may see an increasing number of patients presenting with end-stage liver disease and at younger ages".
Scientists believe that this trend can be reversed. They note that it is important to note that although 20 percent of the participants were identified as having fatty liver, only a small percentage of individuals will develop cirrhosis and the vast majority of those who took part in the study should do well in the future if they take into account the need to carry out a proper diet and exercise.
In addition, the authors say that the next steps will be to take a closer look at how environmental and genetic factors can lead people to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease earlier in life.
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