US Medical Term · conditions
Fatty Liver Disease
Enfermedad de hígado graso
Also: Hígado graso (regional variant)
What it means
Fatty liver disease is the older name for what MedlinePlus now calls steatotic liver disease, a condition that happens when too much fat builds up in the liver. There are two main types. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which used to be called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is not caused by heavy alcohol use. Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), which used to be called alcoholic fatty liver disease, is caused by heavy alcohol use. Both usually have few or no symptoms; people who do have symptoms may feel tired or have discomfort in the upper right side of the abdomen. A form called MASH, previously NASH, may cause inflammation and liver damage, and the scarring that can follow sometimes leads to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Fatty Liver Disease in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Enfermedad de hígado graso
- Gender and article
- feminine: la enfermedad de hígado graso
- Pronunciation
- ehn-fehr-meh-DAHD deh EE-gah-doh GRAH-soh
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| esteatosis hepática | General | The name MedlinePlus en español now uses for the condition; it says the condition was formerly called hígado graso. |
| hígado graso | General | Short form, listed by MedlinePlus en español under "Otros nombres". |
| enfermedad del hígado graso | General | Wording with "del", listed among the alternative names in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia. |
| hígado adiposo | General | Another name listed by MedlinePlus en español under "Otros nombres". |
Enfermedad de hígado graso matches the wording of the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia, which writes la enfermedad de hígado graso no alcohólico. The full phrase is feminine because of enfermedad, but hígado is masculine, so the short form is el hígado graso. The newer name, esteatosis hepática, is feminine: the Spanish dictionary marks esteatosis as a feminine medical noun meaning a pathological buildup of fat inside the cells of an organ, and defines hepático as relating to the liver.
Abbreviations differ between pages. The MedlinePlus en español health topic keeps the English ones, MASLD and MASH, and adds "por sus siglas en inglés." The encyclopedia uses Spanish ones: EHGNA for the nonalcoholic disease and EHNA for esteatohepatitis no alcohólica. Other words MedlinePlus en español uses with this term are fibrosis or cicatrización del hígado (scarring), hepatomegalia (an enlarged liver) and ictericia (jaundice).
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | Your liver tests came back abnormal, and the ultrasound shows fat in your liver. | Sus pruebas del hígado salieron anormales, y el ultrasonido muestra grasa en el hígado. |
| Patient | Does that mean I have fatty liver? I don't feel sick. | ¿Eso quiere decir que tengo hígado graso? No me siento mal. |
| Clinician | Many people have no symptoms. Have you felt very tired, or had discomfort in the upper right side of your belly? | Muchas personas no tienen síntomas. ¿Ha sentido mucho cansancio o molestias en la parte superior derecha del abdomen? |
| Patient | Sometimes I feel a dull discomfort here, under my ribs on the right side. | A veces siento una molestia sorda aquí, debajo de las costillas del lado derecho. |
| Clinician | How much alcohol do you drink in a typical week? | ¿Cuánto alcohol bebe en una semana normal? |
| Patient | I almost never drink, but I have type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. | Casi nunca bebo, pero tengo diabetes tipo 2 y colesterol alto. |
| Clinician | I am going to order more blood tests and an imaging test to check for scarring in the liver. | Voy a pedirle más análisis de sangre y una prueba por imágenes para ver si hay cicatrización en el hígado. |
| Patient | Could you write down the name of the condition for me in Spanish and in English? | ¿Me puede anotar el nombre de la enfermedad en español y en inglés? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Fatty Liver Disease |
| Spanish (Español) | Enfermedad de hígado graso |
| Chinese (中文) | 脂肪肝 |
| Korean (한국어) | 지방간 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Bệnh gan nhiễm mỡ |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Fatty Liver Disease |
| Portuguese (Português) | Doença hepática gordurosa |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | โรคไขมันพอกตับ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 脂肪肝疾患 |
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
ICD-10-CM code: K76 → Other diseases of liverRelated terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Digestive system
All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo
Sources
- Steatotic Liver Disease — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Esteatosis hepática — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Enfermedad de hígado graso no alcohólico (Enciclopedia médica) — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- esteatosis — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- hígado — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 7, 2026