Fatty Liver Disease

As most people with fatty liver disease don’t show the symptoms, it is difficult to identify the exact number of people with the disease; however it can be estimated that the disease affects at least 24% of Iranians, said Seyed Ziaeddin Mazhari, head of the Iran Nutrition Society.

“People who are obese or overweight are 57% to 74% more likely to develop the disease,” he said, salamatnews.com reported.  Tehran, Amol (Mazandaran Province), and Zahedan (Sistan-Baluchestan), have the highest prevalence rate (30%), and 10% of people living in these three cities suffer from a severe form of the disease.

Fatty liver, or steatosis, is a term that describes the buildup of fat in the liver and the problem can be resolved with life style changes. However, if neglected, the disease also can progress to scarring and ultimately cirrhosis which may lead to gastrointestinal bleeding, liver failure, and