Your liver performs over 500 vital functions in your body. If it is not functioning the way it should, your health could take a turn for the worse. If you are at risk of liver disease, checking your liver’s health is extremely important to avoid irreversible damage. Fibroscan is a simple, painless way to monitor the health of your liver. Using ultrasound technology, the fibroscan can measure how much fat is in the liver and its density. From there, your provider can determine if additional steps are needed. The benefits of a fibroscan are more profound than just monitoring the health of your liver.
NASH/NAFLD
They call it the twin epidemics. Diabetes and obesity affect millions of Americans and significantly increase the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD. NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is a condition under the umbrella of NAFLD. Although there is some fat in our liver typically, consuming excessive calories and a sedentary lifestyle causes large amounts of fat to be deposited in the liver. Over time, this causes inflammation, scarring, and cirrhosis.
Most people with NASH don’t know it until they begin to experience symptoms in the later stages when they are more apparent, and the damage is beyond repair. That is why it’s essential to know your risk and get screened.
Benefits of a Fibroscan
Below are three benefits of the fibroscan:
- Fast and pain-free– The procedure takes 5-10 min, there is no need for any type of sedation, or hospitalization, and best of all it’s pain-free. You also get your results right away.
- Valuable Liver Tool– Fatty liver is typically undetectable in the early stages. The fibroscan can be used as an early intervention tool and to manage liver health in those with liver disease.
- Safer than a liver biopsy– Liver biopsy risk can be pain, bleeding, infection, and possible injury to another organ. Since the fibroscan is not a medical procedure like a biopsy, the patient is more comfortable, and the procedure is more affordable.
Before the invention of the fibroscan, detecting fatty liver was done through a biopsy, which was more invasive and required recovery time. Find out if you are at risk for NASH today. Arizona Liver Health is conducting FREE fibroscans. To learn more, call (480) 470-4000 or visit our website.
References:
https://dhccenter.com/3-benefits-of-a-fibroscan/
