Life took a sudden turn for 39-year-old Shireen Rehman, a makeup artist from Indore, in July 2023. “I was too dizzy to stand, kept vomiting several times a day, and couldn’t even leave the house,” she recalled.
With local doctors unable to pinpoint the cause, her family took her to Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital, where her mother-in-law had received cancer treatment years earlier. There, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease — a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the digestive tract. The treatment, which included steroids, led to a significant weight gain of 10 kg, increasing her weight from 55 kg to 65 kg.
“Along with the weight gain, my liver enlarged, and I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease,” said Rehman. With a family history of liver disease — her father and grandfather also had liver-related conditions — she now faces heightened health concerns. “I need to lose weight to protect my liver,” she added.
Fatty liver disease, characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, is rapidly becoming a global health concern. It affects nearly 30% of the adult population. The condition is classified into two types: alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD, in particular, is on the rise due to factors unrelated to alcohol consumption, such as obesity, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyles.
Medical experts are alarmed by the growing number of NAFLD cases and emphasize the importance of early detection, lifestyle changes, and regular health checkups to combat this silent epidemic.