One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding fatty liver disease is that it is harmless.
While many people remain in the early stages for years, others may experience disease progression.
Dr Agarwal warns that simple fatty liver can evolve into more serious conditions.
“Many people consider fatty liver as a small thing on an ultrasound report and like to ignore it. That can be a costly mistake,” said Dr Shaleen Agarwal.
When inflammation develops, the condition may progress to steatohepatitis, a more aggressive form of liver disease. Over time, this can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure, and even liver cancer.
Doctors are increasingly seeing patients whose advanced fatty liver disease has progressed so far that liver transplantation becomes the only lifesaving option.
“Fatty liver disease can often be reversed if caught early. But, untreated, it can stealthily progress to irreversible liver damage. The earlier the patient does it, the better chances for complete recovery of liver health,” Dr Agarwal added.
The danger lies in the fact that serious liver injury can develop without causing pain or obvious symptoms.
By the time fatigue, swelling, jaundice, or abdominal discomfort appear, substantial damage may already have occurred.