Ultrasound Imaging Essential for Early Diagnosis of Fatty Liver Disease

National: Apollo Hospitals, has highlighted the critical need for improved fatty liver diagnosis in the country. In a recent study involving 53,946 individuals undergoing comprehensive preventive health checks at Apollo Hospitals, 33% were found to have fatty liver. Notably, only one-third of these patients had elevated liver enzymes, suggesting that relying solely on blood tests for early detection is insufficient.

Currently, diagnosing fatty liver disease involves a combination of patient history, physical exams, and blood tests, including liver enzyme levels and other liver function markers. Imaging techniques like ultrasound and fibro scan are also used to detect fat accumulation in the liver, even when blood tests do not indicate significant abnormalities. However, ultrasounds are not always the first diagnostic tool due to issues of accessibility and the perceived necessity based on initial assessments without imaging. Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD) increases mortality rates due to liver diseases and complications related to cardiovascular and oncological health.

Commenting on this, Dr. N. Murugan, Senior Consultant Hepatologist & Liver Transplant Physician, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai said, “The lack of timely diagnosis of fatty liver disease (FLD) is a growing concern. Particularly metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), caused by factors other than excessive alcohol use, is increasingly prevalent in India due to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Despite its growing incidence, FLD often goes undiagnosed because it’s largely asymptomatic in early stages and would not necessarily reflect through a LFT blood test.”

Early and accurate detection through imaging techniques like ultrasound could lead to timely interventions, lifestyle modifications, and treatment plans that could significantly improve patient outcomes. Therefore, I urge healthcare professionals to consider adopting ultrasound as a more routine diagnostic tool for fatty liver disease and using its benefits are more widely utilized to enhance patient care,” added Dr Akash Roy, Senior Hepatologist at Apollo Hospitals, Kolkata.

Weight reduction is known to be one of the ways to reverse fatty liver in its early stages. Even a 5% to 10% reduction in body weight can significantly reduce liver fat and inflammation.

Dr. Sathya Sriram, CEO – Preventive Health, Apollo Hospitals, said, “At Apollo Hospitals, our mission in designing preventive health checks was to ensure they are extremely comprehensive, yet relevant to each individual, enabling the early diagnosis of health issues. With Apollo ProHealth, we are personalizing health checks to each person’s risk and our doctors interpret the results for accurate guidance. We have also advocated for integrating ultrasound as a safe and critical component of health checks, recognizing its significant clinical benefits for true preventive care. We hope more and more healthcare providers start utilizing imaging for enhancing patient care, especially in early detection of fatty liver disease.”

Fatty liver disease is related to obesity and diabetes, all of which indicate metabolic dysfunction. Consuming excessive carbs raises insulin levels, and chronic high insulin levels lead to insulin resistance. This disrupts metabolism and converts excess glucose into fatty acids, which are stored in the liver. FLD can be classified into two main types: alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD). MASLD can further progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH), which involves liver inflammation and damage and can eventually lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer.