Fatty liver

[Justin Bieber]

Fatty liver is an abnormal accumulation of certain fats (triglycerides) inside liver cells.

People with fatty liver may feel tired or have mild abdominal discomfort but otherwise have no symptoms.
Sometimes fatty liver causes advanced liver disease such as fibrosis and cirrhosis.
A liver biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis and to determine the cause and extent of the damage.
Doctors focus on controlling or eliminating the cause of fatty liver, such as metabolic syndrome or consumption of large amounts of alcohol.

(See also Overview of Liver Disease.)
The fatty liver may or may not be inflamed. Inflammation of the liver due to fatty liver is called steatohepatitis. This inflammation may develop into scarring (fibrosis). Fibrosis often progresses to cirrhosis (scarring that distorts the structure of the liver and impairs its function).
Fatty liver (with or without fibrosis) due to any condition except consumption of large amounts of alcohol is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD develops most often in people with at least one of the components of metabolic syndrome:

Excess body weight
High fat levels in the blood (triglyceride and cholesterol)
Insulin resistance

Inflammation of the liver due to NAFLD is called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This inflammation may develop into scarring (fibrosis) and cirrhosis.