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Fatty Liver Center - Bozeman, MT

Bozeman Gastroenterologist Doctors for Fatty Liver

Type of Physician: Gastroenterologist

What is a Gastroenterologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated.

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Common Name: GI Doctor

Gastroenterologist Doctors in Bozeman *

GI Clinic
Timothy Johnson
931 Highland Blvd
STE 3350
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 586-3309

GI Clinic
Brian Landsverk
931 Highland Blvd
STE 3350
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 586-3309

GI Clinic
Steven Shaneyfelt
931 Highland Blvd
STE 3350
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 586-3309

Bozeman, Montana

Upcoming Local Events

2012-06-17
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Throughout Bozeman, Montana
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Bozeman, Montana
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Fatty Liver

What are Fatty Liver, NAFLD, and NASH?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver disease ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis), to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis (irreversible, advanced scarring of the liver). All of the stages of NAFLD have in common the accumulation of fat (fatty infiltration) in the liver cells (hepatocytes). In NASH, the fat accumulation is associated with varying degrees of inflammation (hepatitis) and scarring (fibrosis) of the liver.

The term nonalcoholic is used because NAFLD and NASH occur in individuals who do not consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Yet, in many respects, the histological picture of NAFLD (when we look at a biopsy piece of liver under the microscope) is similar to what can be seen in liver disease that is due to excessive intake of alcohol. As we shall see, however, the clinical circumstances in NAFLD and NASH are very different from those in alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

What is the NAFLD spectrum?

The NAFLD spectrum is thought to begin with and progress from its simplest stage, called simple fatty liver (steatosis). That is, fatty liver is the initial abnormality in the spectrum of NAFLD. Simple fatty liver involves just the accumulation of fat in the liver cells with no inflammation or scarring. The fat is actually composed of a particular type of fat (triglyceride) that accumulates in tiny sacs within the liver cells. This accumulation of fat in liver cells is not the same as the fat cells (adipocytes) that constitute our body fat. Fatty liver is a harmless (benign) condition, which means that it, by itself, does not cause any significant liver damage.

The next stage and degree of severity in the NAFLD spectrum is NASH. Fortunately, only a fraction of patients with simple fatty liver will develop NASH. As mentioned, NASH involves the accumulation of fat in the liver cells as...

Recommended Reading Related to Fatty Liver

Hepatitis B »

What is hepatitis?

The term 'hepatitis' simply means inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis may be caused by a virus or a toxin such as alcohol. Other viruses that can cause injury to liver cells include the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses. These viruses are not related to each other or to hepatitis B virus and differ in their structure, the ways they are spread among individuals, the severity of symptoms they can cause, the way they are treated, and the outcome of the infection.

What is the scope of the problem?

Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is estimated that 350 million individuals worldwide are infected with the virus, which causes 620,000 deaths worldwide each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 46,000 new cases of hepatitis B occurred in the United States in 2006.

In the United States, rates of new infection were highest ...

Emergency Contact for Bozeman

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Bozeman Hospitals *

Bozeman Deaconess Hospital
915 Highland Blvd
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406)585-5000

Livingston Memorial Hospital
504 S 13th St
Livingston, MT 59047
(406)222-3541

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