Fatty liver: the next enemy

DURING the last National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong raised the concerns of the rising threat of diabetes mellitus in Singapore. Three in 10 Singaporeans above the age of 60 have diabetes. The disease is closely linked to being overweight: the risk of diabetes will rise with increasing body weight. In his speech, PM Lee highlighted the fact that among five-year-olds, one in 10 is overweight due to the improved nutrition in Singapore.

Not only can being overweight cause diabetes mellitus, it can also cause a constellation of conditions called metabolic syndrome. These consist of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels and increased waist circumference. Being overweight is also closely linked to today's topic - fatty liver. In fact, almost half of the people with fatty liver have diabetes mellitus.

In a recent survey in Singapore, about 40 per cent of the population was found to have fatty liver. The global prevalence of the disease has increased steadily over the past decades. In some countries, it has overtaken other causes as the most common cause of liver failure and liver transplantation. As a gastroenterologist, I have also noticed an increased number of referrals for abnormal liver tests due to fatty liver.