This article was written by Aslam Syed, MD and submitted to Knox Pages for publishing.
It is a common misconception that cirrhosis, or end-stage liver disease, is a consequence of years of alcohol use.
To the contrary, the number one cause of cirrhosis in USA is actually metabolic syndrome, which use to be called fatty liver disease. Metabolic syndrome refers to patients with chronic obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Having these risk factors increases your chances of metabolic syndrome, which is the first step of liver disease, called steatosis, or fat. If the steatosis progresses without adequate control of metabolic syndrome, this can progress to fibrosis (or scar tissue of the liver) and eventually cirrhosis.
It is important to discuss risk factors of fatty liver disease with your primary doctor, and when appropriate, a referral to a gastroenterologist/hepatologist.
