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- Liver disease is a silent killer. Are you at risk?
Liver disease is a silent killer. Are you at risk?Tony is a liver transplant recipient and cancer survivor, watch his patient story video.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease affects nearly 1 in 3 adults in the United States.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can lead to serious health conditions including cirrhosis, liver cancer or even death. These risks can be more than twice as high for people living with diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure.1
Download our Patient Questionnaire to learn more about these conditions and find out if you could be at risk.
No problem to major problem
In the blink of an eye is how Tony describes the severity of his health situation. “On day one, I didn't know that I had a potentially serious disease. In my mind, it went in the blink of an eye. It went from no problem to a major problem.”
In 2014 Tony was diagnosed with NASH and cirrhosis, and by the following year his condition had escalated to liver cancer and landed him on the liver transplant list. “The advice I would have is to talk to your physicians about the kind of tests that ought to be done. My experience has been in some cases that the patient needs to initiate those discussions.”
Diagnosis and Prognosis of NAFLD & NASH
Had the severity of Tony's condition been identified earlier, lifestyle changes may have reversed the effects. Doctors use blood tests, imaging tests, and sometimes liver biopsy to identify (diagnosis) and determine severity (prognosis) of NAFLD and NASH.
Liver biopsy
A liver biopsy is a procedure to remove a small piece of liver tissue for laboratory testing, which is then examined under a microscope to check for signs of liver disease. Liver biopsy is generally safe, but can cause pain and discomfort for the patient.
Blood tests
A health care professional may take a blood sample from you and send the sample to a lab. Your doctor may use the results of routine blood tests to calculate special scores, such as the FIB-4, APRI or the ELF™ Test.
Imaging tests
Imaging tests for liver disease usually involve an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI, which can show excess fat in the liver, inflammation or fibrosis - all signs your Doctor can use to assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of NAFLD, NASH or even cirrhosis.
Liver biopsy
A liver biopsy is a procedure to remove a small piece of liver tissue for laboratory testing, which is then examined under a microscope to check for signs of liver disease. Liver biopsy is generally safe, but can cause pain and discomfort for the patient.
Blood tests
A health care professional may take a blood sample from you and send the sample to a lab. Your doctor may use the results of routine blood tests to calculate special scores, such as the FIB-4, APRI or the ELF™ Test.
Imaging tests
Imaging tests for liver disease usually involve an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI, which can show excess fat in the liver, inflammation or fibrosis - all signs your Doctor can use to assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of NAFLD, NASH or even cirrhosis.
Liver biopsy
A liver biopsy is a procedure to remove a small piece of liver tissue for laboratory testing, which is then examined under a microscope to check for signs of liver disease. Liver biopsy is generally safe, but can cause pain and discomfort for the patient.
Learn more
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References
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
https://www.diabetes.org/about-us/statistics/about-diabetes
Divella R, et al. Int J Biol Sci. 2019;15(3):610-16.
Zhao YC, et al. Hypertension. 2020;75:275-284.
Bedogni G, et al. Hepatol. 2007;46(5):1387-1391.
Kasper P, et al. Clin Res Cardiol (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-020-01709-7
Estes C, et al. Hepatology . 2018;67:123-33.