“Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic condition caused by too much fat being stored inside the liver cells, which is not due to alcohol,” said Dr Lee from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy. While the early stages don’t usually pose harm, this condition can progress to liver failure or cancer if left untreated.
“It is important to note that the majority of people with NAFLD have no symptoms and are unaware they have it,” said the doctor.
This is because the early stages of this condition tend to be silent without ringing any alarm bells.
However, when symptoms do occur, they can include lesser-known signs including finger clubbing and leukonychia.
Dr Lee put these symptoms under signs, “which may not be recognised”.
READ MORE: High cholesterol: Can you smell that? Three smelly symptoms associated with high levels
She explained that finger clubbing describes the enlargement of your fingertips.
This sign can also be spotted in your nails and leave them “downward curving”.
Another sign which affects the nails is leukonychia, according to the expert.
She detailed that this appears as whiteish nail discolouration.
DON’T MISS
How to manage the condition?
As with many conditions, lifestyle changes can go a long way. The expert said: “Much can be achieved by improving lifestyle factors – eating healthily, taking regular exercise, and reducing alcohol to within recommended limits.
“The Mediterranean diet is recommended. This a diet full of lean meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, unsaturated plant fats such as olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil, and large quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables which are high in antioxidants.
“You need to undertake 150-300 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise.
“This is any exercise that increases your heart rate and makes you feel sweaty and slightly out of breath, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or dancing.
“If your GP is concerned that things are not under control and could be progressing, they will refer you to a hepatologist.”
if(typeof utag_data.ads.fb_pixel!==”undefined”&&utag_data.ads.fb_pixel==!0){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);fbq(‘init’,’568781449942811′);fbq(‘track’,’PageView’)}
