Obesity, physical inactivity: Experts say half of Pakistan’s adults suffering from fatty liver

Nearly half of adults in Pakistan are said to be suffering from fatty liver disease due to obesity, junk food consumption as well as lack of physical activity.

During the 8th Annual Conference of Pakistan GI and Liver Disease Society (PGLDS), senior gastroenterologists warned that the disease had already reached epidemic proportions in the country, adding that it was now increasingly affecting children and lean individuals as well, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported.

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The event was held under the theme: ‘Empowering the Future: Advancing GI and Liver Care’.

Fatty liver disease – Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) – might progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer if people are left untreated, the experts said. They added that this will significantly increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.

Fatty liver disease has become one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease in Pakistan due to rising obesity, diabetes and unhealthy lifestyles, said PGLDS President Dr Lubna Kamani.

Kamani highlighted the rising cases of colorectal cancer cases in the country and stated that timely screening and diagnosis were being severely impacted due to lack of awareness, financial constraints and social barriers.

Further, she stressed that Pakistan lacks an adequate number of trained and qualified female gastroenterologists. This is creating major difficulties for women seeking treatment for gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Speaking at the event, former PGLDS president Sajjad Jamil claimed that the world was facing a pandemic of fatty liver disease, which in Pakistan, it was touching epidemic proportions. He noted that even lean individuals in the country were developing fatty liver disease due to poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity.

Jamil has advised Pakistanis to avoid eating junk food on regular basis and adopt a healthier lifestyle, where they can exercise regularly and use medicines prescribed by physicians whenever required to prevent progression of liver disease.

During the conversation, PGLDS patron Shahid Ahmed also addressed the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and listed out its causes, symptoms and increasing burden in Pakistan, according to Dawn.

Amid the rising cases of gastrointestinal diseases in Pakistan, Ahmed stated that early diagnosis will improve treatment outcomes.