Causes And Risk Factors Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Sleep Apnea

Independent of other risk factors like obesity, recent studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea is closely linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease development. Research has demonstrated that the association between these two health problems is related to the degree of nocturnal hypoxemia, an abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood, in patients with sleep apnea. The latter leads to complex metabolic disturbances commonly present in individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. For instance, they may suffer from issues such as oxidative stress, overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system, and inflammation.

Sleep apnea is prevalent and is characterized by pauses of a few seconds or even minutes or by episodes of shallow breathing more than once during sleep. Most patients with sleep apnea tend to snore loudly, choke, or snort as their breathing goes back to normal.

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