What links type 1 diabetes and an enlarged liver at 27?

Question

Hello doctor,

My friend is 27 years old and has been struggling with type 1 diabetes for two years. He is taking Novolog injections (insulin hormone). Recently, the doctor diagnosed him with an enlarged liver. He is very stressed and worried about managing these two conditions, along with his busy schedule. He wants to know if type 1 diabetes is related to an enlarged liver and if he will have to face any consequences because of this.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

Let me explain to you, that there are many reasons behind liver enlargement in diabetic patients. These include:

Fatty liver.
Poor glycemic control.
Infections and so on.

Other causes of liver enlargement should be looked for in this condition, such as infections (hepatitis B, C, etc), fatty liver (to check for lipid profile), and it depends on the size of the enlarged liver (as mild enlargement of liver less than 1.57 inches below the right costal margin is insignificant). More than that can be checked for.

Secondly, with excellent glycemic control (as nowadays there is an insulin pump for excellent glycemic control, it is a new advanced treatment), with regular exercise and sticking to healthy diets, the patient can live like an undiseased person.

In the end, you have to be reassured that liver enlargement is not serious enough to be worried about.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you.