Home · Health · Aug 31 archive
At 27, Noida man got a fatty liver diagnosis. Why it’s a silent disease
Developing
Dr M Irtaza said, “fatty liver is largely a silent disease. His experience reflected a trend doctors are now increasingly seeing across India: fatty liver can develop without obvious symptoms, and liver enzymes can remain normal even when fat has accumulated in the liver, said Dr M Irtaza, Senior Consultant, Gastroenterology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.
According to Apollo Hospitals’ Health of the Nation Report 2026, among 49,032 people with ultrasound-confirmed fatty liver, 74% had completely normal liver enzymes. LFTs measure markers such as ALT, AST, bilirubin and albumin, but “a person can have fatty liver while their ALT and AST remain normal”, he said.
The distinction is important, he said, because the grade of fatty liver does not have a clinical implication on the extent of liver damage. This time, his doctor ordered a FibroScan, a non-invasive test that measures liver stiffness and can help detect fibrosis, or scarring.
“It showed my liver was fat and stiff,” Aman said.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- This time, his doctor ordered a FibroScan, a non-invasive test that measures liver stiffness and can help detect fibrosis, or scarring.
- “It showed my liver was fat and stiff,” Aman said.
- His experience reflected a trend doctors are now increasingly seeing across India: fatty liver can develop without obvious symptoms, and liver enzymes can remain normal even when fat has accumulated in the liver,…
- According to Apollo Hospitals’ Health of the Nation Report 2026, among 49,032 people with ultrasound-confirmed fatty liver, 74% had completely normal liver enzymes.
- Dr M Irtaza said, “fatty liver is largely a silent disease.
- LFTs measure markers such as ALT, AST, bilirubin and albumin, but “a person can have fatty liver while their ALT and AST remain normal”, he said.
- The distinction is important, he said, because the grade of fatty liver does not have a clinical implication on the extent of liver damage.
Sources
- The Indian Expresslink