Q. Can fatty liver cause digestive problems?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Yes, fatty liver disease can cause digestive problems. Also known as steatosis, fatty liver is the accumulation of lipids such as triglycerides and cholesterol within hepatocytes (liver cells). This causes an enlargement of your liver, which can lead to a variety of symptoms that affect the gastrointestinal tract.
The most common symptom linked to fatty liver disease is abdominal discomfort. This can manifest in several ways including: dull pain or cramps in your stomach, feeling bloated after eating certain foods, nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea and poor appetite. In severe cases you may experience indigestion or reflux-like symptoms with acidic taste in your mouth. These digestive issues are caused by fat deposits blocking bile ducts within the pancreas and gall bladder which prevent enzyme from proper digestion of fats leading to malabsorption syndrome.
Other complications related to fatty liver include hepatic encephalopathy which affects cognitive function due to accumulation of toxins like ammonia; ascites - accumulation of fluid around organs; cirrhosis – scarring tissues which leads injury and failure in vital organ functions for example jaundice (yellowing skin); kidney dysfunction due to toxic load on body etc.. Therefore early recognition and treatment is important for prevention against further complications associated with fatty liver disease.
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