Steatosis

Stages of NAFLD

NAFLD develops in four main stages.

Most people will only everdevelop the first stage, usually without realising it. In small number of cases itcan progress and eventually lead to liver damage if not detected and managed.

The main stages of NAFLD are:

simple fatty liver (steatosis) a largely harmless build-up of fat in the liver cells that may only be diagnosed during tests carried out for another reason
non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamed; this is estimated to affect up to 5% of the UK population
fibrosis where persistent inflammationcauses scar tissue around the liver and nearbybloodvessels, but the liver is still able to function normally
cirrhosis the most severe stage, occurring afteryears of inflammation, where the liver shrinks and becomes scarred and lumpy; this damage is permanent and canlead toliver failure (where your liver stops working properly) and liver cancer

It can take years for fibrosis or cirrhosisto develop. It's important to make lifestyle changes toprevent the disease from getting worse.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

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Introduction

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