What western medicine is used for fatty liver?
In recent years, fatty liver has become one of the common liver diseases worldwide, especially the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has increased year by year. For the treatment of fatty liver, Western medicine is one of the important methods. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to give you a detailed introduction to Western medicine treatment options for fatty liver and provide structured data for reference.
1. Overview of Western Medicine Treatment of Fatty Liver

Treatment of fatty liver mainly includes lifestyle intervention and drug treatment. The goals of Western medicine treatment are to improve liver inflammation, reduce fat accumulation, and delay disease progression. The following are several types of Western medicines commonly used clinically:
| drug class | Representative medicine | Mechanism of action | Applicable people |
|---|---|---|---|
| insulin sensitizer | Pioglitazone, rosiglitazone | Improve insulin resistance and reduce liver fat deposition | Fatty liver patients with diabetes |
| Antioxidants | Vitamin E | Reduce oxidative stress and protect liver cells | Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients |
| lipid-lowering drugs | Atorvastatin, fenofibrate | Lower blood lipids and reduce liver fat accumulation | Fatty liver patients with hyperlipidemia |
| Hepatoprotective drugs | Silymarin, diammonium glycyrrhizinate | Protect liver cell membrane and promote liver cell repair | Fatty liver patients with abnormal liver function |
2. Hot Topic: Research Progress of New Drugs for Fatty Liver Disease
In the past 10 days, research on new drugs for fatty liver has become a hot topic. The following are several new drugs that have attracted much attention recently:
| Drug name | R&D stage | Mechanism of action | Potential efficacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obeticholic acid (OCA) | Phase III clinical trial | Farnesoid X receptor agonist, modulates bile acid metabolism | Significantly improves liver fibrosis in NASH patients |
| Elafibranor | Phase II clinical trial | PPARα/δ dual agonist, improves lipid metabolism | Reduce liver inflammation and fibrosis |
| Semaglutide | Phase II clinical trial | GLP-1 receptor agonist, weight loss and liver fat reduction | Significant improvement in liver histology in NASH patients |
3. Precautions when using Western medicine for fatty liver disease
Although Western medicine has a certain effect in the treatment of fatty liver, you should pay attention to the following points when using it:
1.individualized treatment: The causes of fatty liver are complex, and appropriate drugs need to be selected according to the patient’s specific conditions (such as whether it is complicated by diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc.).
2.combination therapy: A single drug has limited effect, and usually requires combined lifestyle intervention (such as diet control, exercise) or other drugs (such as antidiabetic drugs, lipid-lowering drugs).
3.Regular monitoring: Long-term use of western medicine may cause side effects. For example, pioglitazone may cause edema, and excessive vitamin E may increase the risk of bleeding. Liver function and drug safety need to be checked regularly.
4. Summary
Western medical treatment of fatty liver is a rapidly developing field, including traditional drugs such as insulin sensitizers and antioxidants, and emerging drugs such as obeticholic acid and semaglutide. Patients should use medication rationally under the guidance of a doctor and combine it with a healthy lifestyle to achieve the best treatment effect.
If you want to learn more about the treatment options for fatty liver, it is recommended to consult a professional hepatologist to develop a personalized treatment plan.
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