Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Fatty degeneration of cells under the influence of various factors is called steatosis; most often this process is observed in the pancreas and liver. Steatosis of the liver means its fatty infiltration, in which fatty inclusions appear in the parenchyma of the organ, leading to disruption of the hepatocyte function. Steatosis can be focal and diffuse; in the latter case, fat cells are located over the entire surface of the liver. Until 1980, it was believed that steatosis could only be caused by alcohol abuse, while fatty liver disease was observed in 90% of people who abused alcoholic beverages. Subsequently, it was established that alcoholism is not the only cause of this pathological condition, after which it was proposed to divide steatosis into alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Most often, non-alcoholic steatosis develops in women over 45 years of age against the background of obesity or diabetes mellitus. In addition, the cause of the development of liver steatosis can be improper nutrition and diseases of other digestive organs, leading to impaired absorption of nutrients, metabolic disorders, and hormonal imbalances.