Patients are often blindsided by a diagnosis of fatty liver disease. It can be overwhelming to have to figure out a whole new language when talking about your liver, so this guide aims to provide straightforward and easy to understand definitions of terms you will come across in your NAFLD/NASH journey. If you would like to see any terms added to this list, please email us at [email protected].

• Biopsy: a surgical procedure to remove a small piece of tissue, so it can be examined under a microscope for signs of damage or disease

• Cholesterol: a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and found in the blood and in all cells of the body

• Cirrhosis: late-stage liver disease when healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue and the liver is permanently damaged

• Endocrinologist: a doctor specialized in treating diseases associated with the glands and organs that make hormones, such as diabetes, thyroid diseases, and metabolic disorders

• Fatty liver: a condition caused by having too much fat build up in the liver; the broad term encompassing NAFLD and NASH

• Fibrosis: the formation of excessive scar tissue from repeated or long-lasting inflammation or injury

• Gastroenterologist: a doctor specialized in treating diseases associated with the digestive tract and liver, such as ulcers, irrtable bowel syndrome, and liver diseases

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): the most common type of liver cancer, occurring most often in people with chronic liver diseases

• Hepatocyte: a liver cell

• Hepatologist: a doctor specialized in treating diseases associated with the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts, such as fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatitis

• Metabolism: chemical reactions in the body's cells that change food into energy

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver with little or no inflammation or scarring, not as a result of alcohol consumption

• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): advanced NAFLD, where excess fat builds up in the liver with inflammation and scarring, not as a result of alcohol consumption

• Non-invasive test: a medical test that does not involve tools that break skin or enter the body, such as x-ray, MRI, and Fibroscan

• Steatosis: the formation of excessive fat in liver cells

• Transplant: a surgical procedure to remove and replace an organ or tissue, which may be necessary if cirrhosis leads to liver failure