After Hours Urgent Care Clinic Doctors Talk of Fatty Liver & Its Dangers
Liver specialists in America are sounding the alarm bell, as an increasing number of people are developing NAFLD (Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) in the modern times.
This is a condition characterized by the accumulation of high amounts of fat in the liver. And, it is not related to alcohol consumption. As per statistics by the Center for Disease Analysis (CDA), around 89 million Americans are suffering from NAFLD currently.
CDA is a public health body that studies diseases which are poorly understood. NAFLD is one of the poorly understood diseases because doctors don’t know yet why teetotalers get this disease.
NAFLD is of more concern for senior citizens. Around 40 per cent of the people diagnosed with this disease are 60+.
NAFLD – the new silent killer?
NAFLD does not produce any symptoms. So, your liver may have fat deposits and you could be unaware of it. It generally goes undiagnosed because doctors do not screen for fatty deposits on liver during the regular health checkup.
That’s why doctors at afterhours urgent care clinic advise people who have never screened their liver before to ask their doctor for a liver test. The clinic conducts liver panel – you just have to specify to the doctor that you want to get tested for fatty liver.
Please take your liver seriously
Do you know your liver performs more than 500 chief functions?
It is impossible to mention all of them here, but a few of them include:
- Producing bile for digesting food
- Filtering toxins from blood
- Creating proteins for nutrition regulation
- Assisting in blood clotting
- Metabolizing fats, vitamins, and sugars
- Balancing fluid content
- Being a key component of the immune system
An omission of even a single function can lead to health complications.
Imagine if your blood is not filtered of toxins? What would happen if your fats and sugars are not metabolized?
A unique organ
The liver is a unique organ in the sense that it is the only organ in your body that can regenerate itself. So, if you were to cut a piece of your liver, it will regrow!
You cannot let such a marvelous organ become diseased, can you?
An after-hours urgent care clinic is open all days of the week. Whether you drink alcohol or not, it is important that you screen your liver to rule out the possibility of any fatty deposits.
When excess fat gets deposited in your liver, the organ has to work extra hard. This creates an inflammatory response, which can damage cells of liver and meddle with the organ’s function.
Doctors have observed that people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity, and a family history of liver disease or diabetes are at greater risk of developing NAFLD.
Belly fat and liver
Belly fat, especially visceral fat, which is fat deposited in the abdominal cavity in close proximity to vital organs like the liver, is dangerous. According to doctors, this type of fat secrets compounds that can trigger inflammation. This fat can damage vital organs. Walk into an after-hours clinic in Alexandria, VA, and consult a doctor. A healthy liver can save you from a lot of medical complications.
