Over 75% of Diabetic Patients in Study Found to Have Fatty Liver: AIG
Hyderabad, June 11 (TNT): Fatty liver disease should no longer be viewed as a minor health issue or a routine ultrasound finding, doctors at AIG Hospitals said on World NASH Day on Thursday, warning that the condition can silently progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure and even liver cancer if left untreated.
Highlighting the growing burden of fatty liver disease in India, experts called for early screening, diagnosis and lifestyle intervention to prevent serious complications.
Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), an advanced form of fatty liver disease, is characterised by liver inflammation and damage caused by fat accumulation in the liver.
According to an AIG-linked study involving Asian Indian patients with Type 2 diabetes, more than 75 per cent of participants had fatty liver disease as detected by FibroScan, while nearly 29 per cent had developed liver fibrosis, indicating liver scarring.
The study was conducted by researchers including AIG founder-chairman Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy and Dr Anand V. Kulkarni.
“Fatty liver is often misunderstood because many patients do not have pain, fever, jaundice or any obvious symptoms in the early stages. But the absence of symptoms does not mean absence of disease,” said Dr Rajesh Gupta, Director of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at AIG Hospitals.
He said fatty liver should be regarded as a metabolic warning sign, particularly among people with diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and abdominal obesity.
Doctors attributed the rise in fatty liver disease to excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar, sedentary lifestyles, diabetes, insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, alcohol consumption, poor sleep and chronic stress.
Senior Consultant Gastroenterologist Dr Partha Pal said fatty liver disease was not merely a liver disorder but a manifestation of broader metabolic dysfunction.
The experts recommended regular screening for people above 30 years of age, especially those with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, increased waist circumference, polycystic ovarian syndrome, sleep apnoea, alcohol consumption or persistently abnormal liver enzyme levels.
They said diagnosis usually begins with abdominal ultrasound and blood tests, while FibroScan has emerged as a preferred non-invasive tool for assessing liver fat and fibrosis. Blood-based assessments such as the FIB-4 score can also help identify patients at risk of advanced fibrosis.
While lifestyle modification remains the cornerstone of treatment, doctors said newer therapies, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual incretin-based drugs, are increasingly being used in selected patients to improve weight management and metabolic health.
“Every fatty liver report should trigger one basic question: Is there fibrosis? Once we know the fibrosis risk, we can decide how aggressively we need to intervene,” Dr Gupta said.
The doctors stressed that early-stage fatty liver disease is reversible, but delayed diagnosis and treatment can result in irreversible liver damage, underscoring the need for timely screening and intervention.
TNT TS
