Gastroenterology and hepatology experts have raised a “growing concern” over the increased risk of fatty liver disease among Filipinos who gained weight and developed unhealthy habits due to quarantine restrictions in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 10 percent to 20 percent of Filipinos have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), dubbed the “silent epidemic” afflicting millions globally, Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Diana Alcantara Payawal said on Thursday. But those with preexisting illnesses, such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension, are also at risk because fatty liver is a “multisystemic disease.”2 typesThere are two types of NAFLD, a condition caused by fat buildup in the liver: the nonalcoholic fatty liver, and the “more advanced” nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. According to Tripon, lifestyle plays a key role in developing fatty liver, which often has no symptoms in its early stage. These patients are at risk for fatty liver,” she said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 17, 2022 08:38 UTC