Fatty Liver

Around 100 million Americans have fatty liver disease — and because it’s a symptomless disease in its early stages, many have no idea they’ve got it. HealthScansBCS helps patients in the Bryan, Texas, area become proactive about their liver health. They’re the only local practice to offer liver scans using FibroScan® — the most advanced imaging technology. This helps physicians diagnose and treat this dangerous disease sooner. Phone the office today or make an appointment using the online booking feature.

What is fatty liver disease?

Fatty liver disease (or fatty liver) is the most common long-term liver condition today, affecting around 100 million Americans. People with this disease have more fat than they should in their liver: more than 5%-10% of the liver’s total weight.

Weight difficulties, diabetes, and alcoholism raise your risk of developing a fatty liver. If you already have fatty liver disease, it can get worse, possibly leading to severe illness or death, unless you take steps now to protect your liver.

What types of fatty liver are there?

The types of fatty liver disease are:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

NAFLD isn’t related to alcohol use. The most common type of NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), means you don’t have physical damage to your liver — at least not yet. But, about 2 in 10 people with NAFL develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) within 3-7 years.

NASH is excess liver fat alongside inflammation and liver damage. Up to 15% of people with NASH develop cirrhosis (severe liver scarring), and up to 24% develop liver cancer.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD)

AFLD is fatty liver disease in people who drink heavy amounts of alcohol. It can lead to alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis and increases the risk of liver cancer.

How do you detect and monitor fatty liver disease?

Fatty liver is a “silent disease” because it rarely causes symptoms until the late stages when it’s severe and challenging to treat. It’s often missed during routine checkups.

Early liver disease detection and close monitoring are absolutely necessary for people at high risk — those with obesity, alcoholism, diabetes, or existing fatty liver disease. 

The practice uses state-of-the-art liver scans that are a noninvasive way to detect and monitor fatty liver disease. HealthScansBCS uses leading-edge equipment called FibroScan® to screen your liver.

The test uses advanced imaging to check for fatty changes and measure liver stiffness (hardness). FibroScan offers specific information that your doctor can use to check your liver health, diagnose disease, and assess the effectiveness of current treatments.

FibroScan is noninvasive and painless. It takes 5-7 minutes in the office. HealthScansBCS can send your results directly to your doctor.

Curious about your liver health? Worried about your risk factors or symptoms? Call the HealthScansBCS office now or book your appointment with online scheduling.