How High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol Affect Your Liver

Caption: Fatty liver disease is related to high blood pressure and high cholesterol. If left untreated, the condition can lead to inflammation, scarring and hardening of the liver, which gives rise to liver failure and cancer. (iStock photo)

"The incidence of fatty liver in Singapore is increasing just like in most parts of the developed world. Many of the relatively young people whom I treat for gallstone disease also have fatty liver," says Prof Pierce Chow, Senior Consultant at the Division of Surgical Oncology at National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), who is also a Senior Consultant at the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) and Transplant Surgery at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), both members of the SingHealth group.

What causes fatty liver disease?

A fatty liver is the result of an abnormal accumulation of fats in the liver cells. It is closely linked to obesity, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, conditions which are also on the rise. Studies have shown that 80 per cent of obese people and 70 per cent of people with diabetes have fatty liver disease.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are also correlated with fatty liver although fatty liver can be found among the young and thin with no high blood pressure.

Symptoms of fatty liver disease

Early non-alcoholic fatty liver disease usually shows no symptoms. However, you may experience the following:

Tiredness
Bloatedness
Loss of appetite
Pain in the right upper abdomen

If fatty liver disease is not managed properly, it can lead to a more serious liver disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) where the fatty liver becomes inflamed.

NASH may progress to permanent scarring and hardening of the liver, a condition called liver cirrhosis. People with liver cirrhosis have a higher risk of liver cancer.

The good news is a simple fatty liver condition is reversible in most cases.

Why is a healthy liver important?

The liver is a key organ that keeps the body in optimal health by performing metabolic and detoxifying functions.

A healthy liver regulates the amount of fat, protein and glucose in the blood. It processes nutrients from the intestines, and also removes toxins and drugs from the bloodstream

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