OC Business Journal

Breakthrough device helps detect deadly liver disease

Paula Lazarus was stunned to learn that her previously diagnosed fatty liver disease had progressed to a life-threatening condition called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and severe liver cirrhosis.

Learn more at ucihealth.org/dhi

“It was a scared-straight moment,” she recalls of her visit with UCI Health gastroenterologist Dr. Carlos Saad in mid-2018.

With the aid of Saad and UCI Health Digestive Health Institute Executive Director Dr. Kenneth Chang, who designed a breakthrough device that accurately diagnosed her condition, Lazarus began a journey that has culminated in massive weight loss and a dramatic improvement in her liver health.

She considers herself lucky to have found the Digestive Health Institute (DHI), one of the nation’s most forward-thinking gastrointestinal treatment centers. DHI’s guiding philosophy is to address the underlying causes of GI disorders. Because obesity is often a contributing factor, the institute has made its prevention and treatment a central focus.

Detecting NASH

“More than 40% of Americans suffer from obesity,” Saad says. “It is the No. 1 cause of fatty liver disease and NASH.”

Lazarus’ weight had yo-yoed for much of her adult life. In her 50s, she hit a high point. Her community doctors said she had fatty liver disease and must lose weight. But they didn’t tell her the silent disease that affects about 80 million Americans could result in NASH, a liver inflammation caused by an accumulation of fat. In severe cases, a liver transplant is the only option. Saad ordered a battery of tests, including the one Chang developed to measure the liver’s blood pressure, a critical indicator of liver health. Before his endoscopic ultrasound-guided portal pressure gradient — or EUS-guided PPG — it was almost impossible to get a precise reading without an invasive procedure.

Once the diagnosis of NASH and cirrhosis was confirmed, Lazarus discussed weight-loss options with Chang and chose endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty to reshape and reduce the size of her stomach.

The procedure in June 2019 was easy. Changing her habits took grit and determination. The first stage consisted of 30 days of protein shakes. “I made a commitment to myself that I had to find a way,” she says. “I did not want to die.”

Lazarus compares the gastroplasty to a football game kickoff. Her job was to catch the ball and run with it. “I had to eliminate sugar and learn to watch other people eat things I could not. I had to completely change my relationship with food.”

Regaining liver health

Best of all, her liver is recovering. Another EUS-guided PPG test revealed that her liver’s blood pressure had dropped to normal levels and the fat was gone. Saad said the cirrhosis had stabilized and may begin improving over time.

Her overall health is also greatly improved. “I feel better about myself,” Lazarus says. “I was starting to isolate because I was ashamed about how heavy I was. To have that burden gone is huge.”

Now she wants to help others battling NASH, cirrhosis and weight-related health issues.

“It took a team of exceptional and supportive doctors, my family and friends to help me save my life,” she says. “I will be forever grateful.”

HEALTHCARE

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2021-05-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://ocbusinessjournal.pressreader.com/article/282153589153821

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