PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Fatty liver disease, or FLD, is a potential killer, according to Dr. Kenneth Cusi, chief of the University of Florida College of Medicine's division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. He says the majority of people at risk have never heard of it.
"Fatty liver disease is the new epidemic. It's been around for a while, but just now we're beginning to recognize that it's become the number one cause of liver damage and liver failure and the first cause of liver transplantation. The bad news is that many individuals who are overweight or obese, or have type two diabetes are carrying it without either them or their doctors knowing about it."
He's received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to screen more than 1, 000 patients to determine just how common the condition may be.
"The test is free. We look at your liver enzymes and then with some diagnostic panels that combine liver enzymes with platelets and your age. There's a calculator that tells the doctor what risk you have."
If you do have scarring from FLD, and it's caught early, he says, there are medications and lifestyle changes that will help.