Fatty liver, also known as
fatty liver disease (
FLD), is a reversible condition wherein large
vacuoles of
triglyceride fat accumulate in
liver cells via the process of
steatosis (i.e., abnormal retention of
lipids within a cell). Despite having multiple causes, fatty
liver can be considered a single
disease that occurs worldwide in those with excessive
alcohol intake and the obese (with or without effects of
insulin resistance). The condition is also associated with other diseases that influence fat
metabolism. When this process of fat metabolism is disrupted, the fat can accumulate in the liver in excessive amounts, thus resulting in a fatty liver. It is difficult to distinguish alcoholic FLD from nonalcoholic FLD, and both show micro
vesicular and macrovesicular fatty changes at different stages.