Not much is known about NAFLD so their is no specific treatment other then trying to maintain good health. NAFLD in many cases is secondary to HCV and unfortunately makes the chances of SVR with the current SOC meds difficult to achieve. Perhaps this will change with the addition of the new anti-virals?
From the American Liver Foundation
http://www.liverfoundation.org/downloads/alf_download_20.pdf
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
What is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease? Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build up of extra fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. It is normal for the liver to contain some fat. However, if more than 5% - 10% percent of the liver’s weight is fat, then it is called a fatty liver (steatosis).
What are the risks linked to NAFLD? NAFLD may cause the liver to swell (steatohepatitis). A swollen liver may cause scarring (cirrhosis) over time and may even lead to liver cancer or liver failure.
What are symptoms of NAFLD? NAFLD often has no symptoms.
How is NAFLD treated? There are no medical treatments yet for NAFLD. Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly may help prevent liver damage from starting or reverse it in the early stages.
* See a doctor who specializes in the liver regularly
* Talk to your doctor about ways to improve your liver health
* Lose weight, if you are overweight or obese
* Lower your cholesterol and triglycerides
* Control your diabetes
* Avoid alcohol
What is the best way to prevent NAFLD? There are ways to prevent NAFLD:
* Maintain a healthy weight
* Eat a healthy diet
* Exercise regularly
* Limit alcohol intake
* Only take medicines that you need and follow dosing recommendations.
For more info check out MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/fatty_liver/article.htm
Good luck!
hectorsf
You will want to take the fatty liver seriously because it can only add to the problems we have with HCV.
We can usually live a fairly normal life with this disease unless it has progressed to cirrhosis so make sure to get a biopsy to find out how much damage you have. Alcohol needs to be put away though because that will only make things worse.
Diane
for the fatty liver, eat a low fat & carb diet. exercise at least 30 mins per day.
for the hep c, see a hepatologist and make a plan to treat. new drugs are coming out later this year that increase the cure rate to around 75% for genotype 1's. Genotype 2's already have an 85% chance of cure with present drugs. With further testing you should find out your genotype & liver condition.
best of luck