Obesity is one of the most dangerous diseases of our age. Unhealthy habits acquired with changing living standards are among the most important factors causing obesity. Obesity causes many diseases such as NASH, heart diseases and diabetes. More than 3 million people die each year due to obesity. Among these deaths is NASH, the world’s most common chronic liver disease, also known as non-alcoholic inflammatory fatty liver disease. NASH disease is most common in Turkey among European countries. One in 10 fatty liver is NASH.
PROGRESS WITHOUT INDICATION
Unfortunately, there are 20 million fatty liver patients in our country, and at least 2 million of them are ‘NASH’ patients at risk of cirrhosis. There is no known drug treatment for NASH, which is an insidious disease that progresses without any symptoms and leads to cirrhosis, liver cancer and finally liver transplantation.
CAUSES DUE TO MALFUNCTION
prof. Dr. Yusuf Yılmaz states that fatty liver disease and inflammation are defined as NASH. Stating that NASH often occurs as a result of a high sugar and fatty diet and a sedentary lifestyle, Yılmaz said that it is closely related to obesity, type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. It is estimated that there are 3.8 million NASH patients in Turkey, and 133 thousand people currently have cirrhosis due to NASH.
WHAT ARE NASH SYMPTOMS?
NASH is an insidious disease, meaning that patients usually do not show any symptoms until advanced cirrhosis develops. Rarely, it can cause weakness, feeling unwell, restlessness, fullness or mild pain in the upper right abdomen. The absence of symptoms causes the disease to be ignored, making diagnosis difficult. In the past, we could not find the cause of cirrhosis in a significant number of patients who were diagnosed with cirrhosis. Today, it has been understood that the cause of cirrhosis in these patients is NASH.