Dear Customer (name blocked for privacy),
Hepatomegaly is the medical term for enlargement of the liver. It's not a disease but a sign of an underlying problem.
The liver is involved in many bodily functions, such as removing toxins from your blood and making bile, which aids in digestion. Many conditions can cause hepatomegaly and impair the function of the liver, including:
(1) Congestive heart failure
(2) Fatty liver due to alcohol abuse
(3) Liver cancer
(4) Hepatitis
(5) Blood disorders such as leukemia
(6) Excessive iron in the body (hemochromatosis)
On examination, a doctor can feel the enlarged liver, which may be tender to touch, below the ribs. If the cause of enlargement of the liver affects liver function, it may lead to yellowing of the skin (jaundice). Treatment of hepatomegaly is directed at the underlying cause.
Possible explanations of fatty liver include the transfer of fat from other parts of the body or an increase in the extraction of fat presented to the liver from the intestine. Other explanations are that the liver reduces the rate it breaks down and removes fat. Eating fatty foods does not by itself produce a fatty liver.
****The treatment of fatty liver is related to the cause. Simple fatty liver may not require treatment. The benefit of weight loss, dietary fat restriction, and exercise in obese patients is inconsistent. (The above paragraph is referenced by MERCK.)****
Reducing or eliminating alcohol use can improve fatty liver due to alcohol toxicity. Controlling blood sugar may reduce the severity of fatty liver in patients with diabetes. Ursodeoxycholic acid has been shown to reduce liver enzyme levels.
Patients with a fatty liver occasionally have an enlarged liver or minor elevation of liver enzyme tests. Several studies show that fatty liver is one of the most common causes of isolated minor elevation of liver enzymes found in routine blood screening. Fortunately, you mentioned your enzymes were "ok."
Further screening is necessary to find the underlying cause of your enlarged, fatty liver so that proper treatment can be implemented. Has your physician tested you for any of the 6 conditions I listed above? I would encourage further evaluation to find the underlying cause. The fact that your enzymes came back "ok" is very encouraging, however you should have your liver enzymes checked regularly.
__________________
BE SURE TO LEAVE POSITIVE FEEDBACK!
