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Signs & Symptoms of Nash Disease

NASH Disease or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is described by the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House as a silent disease. The term silent disease refers to the few symptoms typically associated with NASH disease until it reaches an advanced stage or progresses to a more severe condition such as cirrhosis of the liver.

  1. Disease

    • The website Liver Disease reports the few signs and symptoms of NASH Disease are similar to those associated with Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. The two conditions are so similar that the Liver Disease website reports a sample taken from the liver must be tested to decide on a diagnosis. NASH disease is not caused by alcohol consumption and can affect people who consume very little or no alcohol. People affected by the condition often feel no symptoms for many years and, according to NDDIC, it can occasionally affect a persons liver for decades without any outward signs of problems.

    Symptoms

    • According to the Mayo Clinic the symptoms of NASH Disease include pain in the upper right abdomen. Symptoms of advanced NASH Disease can also affect a person suffering with the condition by causing extreme fatigue and weight loss. The American Liver Foundation reports that a change can often be noticed in the mental health of an individual with mental confusion often being seen as a symptom of NASH Disease.

    Internal Symptoms

    • According to the American Liver Foundation symptoms of NASH Disease are more commonly found internally than seen as external symptoms. Internally the liver becomes inflamed, a symptom that often causes the diagnosis of NASH Disease to be confused with liver damage caused by alcohol abuse. Another internal symptom of NASH Disease is the build up of fatty deposits around the liver. The American Liver Foundation describes the build up of small deposits of fat around the liver to be healthy. However, if the level of fatty deposits reaches over 10 percent of the weight of the liver then the condition fatty liver is diagnosed.

    Progression

    • According to NDDIC the condition NASH Disease can often reverse or halt altogether without treatment. NDDIC explains NASH Disease affects between 2 and 5 percent of U.S. citizens at any one time. When NASH Disease progresses to its most severe stage cirrhosis of the liver develops. Cirrhosis of the liver is described by NDDIC as the scarring of tissue of the liver leading to the failure of the liver to work as it should. Symptoms of cirrhosis include intestinal bleeding, muscle wasting and liver failure. The only successful treatment for cirrhosis is a liver transplant, which is reported by NDDIC also to be a treatment growing in popularity for NASH Disease.

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