BALTIMORE, Md. -- With the exception of Hepatitis C, fatty liver disease is the most common liver problem doctors see in the U.S.

Diagnosing Fatty Liver Disease Web Extra: Dr. Paul Thuluvath Interview

Fatty liver disease can lead to serious health problems if left untreated, and women are more prone to it than men, doctors said.

Paula Beeman, 65, said she started having problems in 1995 that began with surgery for two masses in her abdomen. She said they were nonmalignant, but her doctor told her that her liver was bad.

Doctors discovered Beeman had undiagnosed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Mercy Medical Center Dr. Paul Thuluvath said the condition goes hand in hand with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and inflammation.

"When there is inflammation, there is a healing process just like anywhere else, and with healing, you get scar tissue in the liver," Thuluvath said.

A normal liver biopsy under a microscope is mostly pink, but in a patient with fatty liver disease, all the white spots are fat, doctors said. Some people also have slightly elevated liver enzymes, which are often overlooked by doctors.

"My doctors at home were not alarmed. My liver enzymes were fine, or they had no concern about it. So, I didn't pursue it," Beeman said.

"That is not right. Even subtle elevation can suggest that something is going on. The only way we will know is a further workup," Thuluvath said.

Treatment can include losing weight, managing high cholesterol and triglycerides and keeping diabetes under control, doctors said. In severe cases, bariatric surgery might be needed.

Beeman had to have a liver transplant 11 years ago. She said she does everything the doctors tell her to take care of the new liver.

WBAL TV 11 News reporter Donna Hamilton talked to Thuluvath about the effects of acetaminophen or Tylenol on the liver, as well as how much a patient can take. He also gave his opinion on the herbal supplement milk thistle and whether or not it's effective for people with liver problems.

To see that interview, click on the link above.

Hamilton reported that of the 3,000 patients who have acute liver failure each year, almost half of them happen due to an overdose of acetaminophen.