A middle-aged man, was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver and diabetes three years ago. Instead of taking medication, he decided to resort to alternative therapies.
Highlighting the incident, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips spoke about the critical importance of adhering to medical treatment and the risks of relying solely on alternative therapies.
“He was unwilling for anti-diabetes tablets or insulin because of misinformation on ‘modern medicines’ He won’t make it beyond a year. His son is devastated,” TheLiverdoc wrote.
Dr Philips explains that liver cancer can develop without cirrhosis, due to hepatitis B virus infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), intensified by diabetes.
He warns that hepatitis B virus infection and NAFLD, and its aggressive form NASH can result in liver cancer in the background of a normal liver even after a normal liver function test.
He also urged people with a family history of diabetes to get regular check-ups. Symptoms like unexplained weight loss, excessive thirst, hunger, or fatigue should prompt testing.
Dr V Mohan, diabetologist and chairman of Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, recently launched an exclusive liver clinic in regards to this.