Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero tofinals.com slash nafld.

Or in the gastroenterology section of the zero to finals medicine book.

So let's get straight into it.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease abbreviated to NAFLD is characterized by excessive

fat in the liver cells, specifically triglycerides.

These fat deposits interfere with the functioning of liver cells.

The early stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be asymptomatic, however it can

progress to hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Around 25% of adults are estimated to have

non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, so it's very common. Let's talk about the stages. The stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in order are non-alcoholic fatty liver.

This is followed by non-alcoholic steto hepatitis or nash, which is followed by fibrosis and finally cirrhosis.

Let's talk about the risk factors.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease shares the same risk factors as cardiovascular disease and

diabetes. And this includes being middle aged or older, obesity, a poor diet and low activity levels,

type 2 diabetes, raised cholesterol, raise blood pressure and smoking.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of

hypertension or high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is very common and

dramatically increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and a number of other health problems.

Let's talk about the investigations. A raised alanine amino transferase, or ALT, on the liver function

blood tests is often the first indication that a patient has non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

A liver ultrasound scan can be used to confirm the diagnosis of hepatic stetosis or a fatty liver,

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