lab rpt
ENG 111
Silent Killer The liver helps digest food, absorb nutrients and expel toxins from the body. Recent studies show that one in ten children in US is thought to have a liver disease that was thought to afflict alcoholic adults. The condition has become very common in non-drinkers that it has been dubbed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Whenever someone gets the disease, the organ becomes bloated and discolored due to the fatty cells. This disease is alarming doctors because it progresses very quickly in non-alcoholics. When the fatty liver becomes inflamed and cells are damaged, that leads to the end stage of cirrhosis: when the liver forms a scar tissue and ultimately stops working. This is a stage that doctors don’t hope any patient gets to. Although doctors hope for the best through research, some imaging studies of children born from obese women, show that even infants have more fat on their liver. How can it be controlled? Doctors are trying to find ways to dissolve or remove the fats from the child’s liver. The condition’s rise is tied to the obesity epidemic; about 40% of obese children have the disease. In addition, not only do obese children have it, but also some healthy children have it too. The one thing that is most alarming is that liver cirrhosis has no symptoms. Which means someone can have it for a really long time without knowing. The fatty liver disease has been recognized fairly recently in children, it’s unclear how the disease progresses into adulthood. Although the disease can progress without detection, it’s preferred that both children and adults get regular checkups. Usually, fatty liver disease is detected when other health problems arise. Obesity, insulin resistance or diabetes may prompt a doctor to order blood work to determine how the liver is functioning. Roughly, ten percent of people with fatty liver disease will develop NASH, which is the second to last stage before it’s said to be liver cirrhosis. About
Silent Killer The liver helps digest food, absorb nutrients and expel toxins from the body. Recent studies show that one in ten children in US is thought to have a liver disease that was thought to afflict alcoholic adults. The condition has become very common in non-drinkers that it has been dubbed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Whenever someone gets the disease, the organ becomes bloated and discolored due to the fatty cells. This disease is alarming doctors because it progresses very quickly in non-alcoholics. When the fatty liver becomes inflamed and cells are damaged, that leads to the end stage of cirrhosis: when the liver forms a scar tissue and ultimately stops working. This is a stage that doctors don’t hope any patient gets to. Although doctors hope for the best through research, some imaging studies of children born from obese women, show that even infants have more fat on their liver. How can it be controlled? Doctors are trying to find ways to dissolve or remove the fats from the child’s liver. The condition’s rise is tied to the obesity epidemic; about 40% of obese children have the disease. In addition, not only do obese children have it, but also some healthy children have it too. The one thing that is most alarming is that liver cirrhosis has no symptoms. Which means someone can have it for a really long time without knowing. The fatty liver disease has been recognized fairly recently in children, it’s unclear how the disease progresses into adulthood. Although the disease can progress without detection, it’s preferred that both children and adults get regular checkups. Usually, fatty liver disease is detected when other health problems arise. Obesity, insulin resistance or diabetes may prompt a doctor to order blood work to determine how the liver is functioning. Roughly, ten percent of people with fatty liver disease will develop NASH, which is the second to last stage before it’s said to be liver cirrhosis. About