![\"Vector](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/loss-appetite.jpg\")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat is NASH? Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of\u202fnon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).\u00a0
NAFLD is caused by build-up of fat in the liver.\u00a0
When this build-up causes inflammation and\u00a0damage, it is known as NASH, which can lead to\u00a0scarring of the liver.\u00a0
Scarring of the liver is a potentially life-threatening\u00a0condition called cirrhosis.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Symptoms of NASH <\/strong> Diagnosis of NASH <\/strong> Diagnosis of NASH <\/strong> Treatment of NASH <\/strong> Risk factors to NASH <\/strong> Complications of NASH <\/strong> Prevention of NASH<\/strong> Management of NASH <\/strong> Disclaimer: <\/strong>The advice provided is intended for informational purpose only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.\u00a0\u00a0Consult with your doctor if you\u2019re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment.\u200b<\/p>\r\n\r\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is NASH? Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an advanced form of\u202fnon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).\u00a0 NAFLD is caused by build-up of fat in the liver.\u00a0 When this build-up causes inflammation and\u00a0damage, it is known as NASH, which can lead to\u00a0scarring of the liver.\u00a0 Scarring of the liver is a potentially life-threatening\u00a0condition called cirrhosis.\u00a0 Symptoms of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
There are often no outward signs or symptoms associated with NASH.\u00a0The most common symptoms are fatigue and mild pain in the upper\u00a0right abdomen.
NASH may lead to cirrhosis of the liver, causing one or more of the\u00a0following symptoms as the condition progresses.
*Easy bruising and bleeding
*Itchy skin
*Yellow discoloration in the skin and eyes (jaundice)
*Fluid accumulation in your abdomen
*Nausea and loss of appetite
*Swelling in your legs
*Confusion & slurred speech
*Drowsiness
*Spider-like blood vessels on your skin<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
One of the challenges with NASH is that most people who have it\u00a0feel fine and may not know that they have a liver problem until\u00a0the disease is well advanced. This can be dangerous because\u00a0NASH can lead to serious liver damage.
*As part of the medical history, your doctor will ask:\u200b
What medicines you take to determine whether a\u00a0medicine might be causing your fatty\u00a0liver.
*About your alcohol use, to determine whether the fat in your liver is a sign of alcoholic fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.\u00a0
*What your diet is like, your level of physical activity, and other lifestyle factors that can contribute to the likelihood of developing NAFLD
*If you have a history of other health conditions that make you more likely to develop NAFLD, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high levels of fats such as triglycerides or abnormal cholesterol levels.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"MRI](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/mri-scan-procedure.jpg\")
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Tests done to pinpoint the diagnosis and determine disease severity\u00a0include:
*Complete blood count
*Liver function tests
*Tests for chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis C and others)
*Fasting blood sugar
*Haemoglobin A1C, which shows how stable your blood sugar is
*Lipid profile, which measures blood fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides
*Other tests
Your doctor may order tests that take images, or pictures, of your\u00a0liver to help make the diagnosis of fatty liver disease. Different\u00a0types of images can be obtained by using various types of\u00a0equipment, including ultrasound, CT scan, MRI etc.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
If you have NASH, it\u2019s important to control any\u00a0conditions that may contribute to fatty liver\u00a0disease. Treatments and lifestyle changes may\u00a0include:
*Losing weight
*Medication to reduce cholesterol or triglycerides
*Medication to reduce blood pressure
*Medication to control diabetes
*Limiting over the counter drugs
*Avoiding alcohol<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Doctor](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/patient-measuring-bp.jpg\")
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The exact cause of fatty liver disease is difficult to\u00a0ascertain. But obesity is one of the most common\u00a0cause. Doctors are seeing a steady rise in fatty liver\u00a0disease. Although children and young adults can get\u00a0fatty liver disease, it is most common in middle age.\u202f
Risk factors include:
*Being overweight
*Having high blood fat levels, either triglycerides or LDL (\u201cbad\u201d) cholesterol
*Having diabetes or prediabetes
*Having high blood pressure<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The main complication of\u202fNASH\u202fis cirrhosis, which is late-stage\u00a0scarring in the liver. Cirrhosis occurs in response to liver injury,\u00a0such as the inflammation in\u202fNASH. As the liver tries to halt\u00a0inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis). With\u00a0continued inflammation, fibrosis spreads to take up more and\u00a0more liver tissue.
If the process isn't interrupted, cirrhosis can lead to:
*Fluid build-up in the abdomen (ascites)
*Swelling of veins in your oesophagus (oesophageal varices), which can rupture and bleed
*Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
*Liver cancer
*End-stage liver failure, which means the liver has stopped functioning<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.healthvectors.ai\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/total-shape-p7.jpg\")
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To prevent NASH, one must;
Choose a healthy diet-\u202fChoose a healthy plant-based\u00a0diet that's rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and\u00a0healthy fats.
Maintain a healthy weight- f\u00a0you are\u00a0overweight or\u00a0obese, reduce the number of calories you eat each\u00a0day and get more exercise. If you have a healthy\u00a0weight, work to maintain it by choosing a healthy diet\u00a0and exercising.
Exercise- Exercise most days of the week. Get an OK\u00a0from your doctor first if you\u00a0haven't\u00a0been exercising\u00a0regularly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
*If you have NASH (Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), your doctor may recommend gradually\u202flosing weight\u202fif you are\u202foverweight or\u202fobese.\u00a0
*Your doctor may suggest limiting your intake of\u202ffats\u202fto help prevent or treat NASH. Fats are high in\u202fcalories\u202fand increase your chance of becoming obese.
*Weight loss and exercise are among the most promising of treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
*Vigorous exercise results in a reduction of liver fat and may reduce the inflammation of NASH.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n