Dwarka diabetologist with 24 years of experience shares how to detect fatty liver without blood test: Cheekbones are...

Dr Brijmohan Arora explained non-invasive physical signs that can indicate fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Find out what these signs are.

Fatty liver disease and insulin resistance are a toxic duo – when fat builds up in the liver, it triggers insulin resistance, which in turn fuels further fat accumulation, inflammation, and damage. This vicious cycle can escalate to serious liver damage, like NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a form of fatty liver disease characterised by liver inflammation and damage).

However, did you know that you could learn about your liver health and potential pre-diabetes without a blood test by examining physical signs such as visceral fat, skin tags, and high blood pressure?

In an August 3 Instagram video, Dr Brijmohan Arora, a diabetologist with over 24 years of experience, who practices in Dwarka, New Delhi, shared how he addressed a patient's concern about his liver health and potential pre-diabetes without requiring a blood test. He titled his post: 'How to detect a fatty liver without blood tests'.

In the video he posted, Dr Arora explained non-invasive physical signs that can indicate the presence of fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, conditions often linked to obesity. Key indicators that he highlighted included excessive, hard visceral fat, the presence of skin tags on the neck or armpits, visible red or purple lines on the legs, particularly near the ankles, and a significant increase in blood pressure. Dr Arora said that these physical manifestations can serve as crucial clinical clues for determining a patient's health status when laboratory tests are refused.

Dr Brijmohan Arora highlighted physical signs that can indicate fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, (Made using Gemini AI)

‘If you have a belly paunch, it is a dangerous sign’

Sharing details about a patient, Dr Arora said, “Today, one of my patients asked, 'Doctor, I do not want to get any blood tests done. But I want to know whether my liver is healthy or not'. Because at one time he had fatty liver, so he was very worried, and he also wanted to know if he had gone back into pre-diabetes again. He had come once. With my help, he was able to reverse it. Then he was transferred to Chennai. And now he has come back. But he is refusing the blood test. So what did we do? I conducted a full examination of his body. And today I will tell you whether we can find out without a blood test if we have fatty liver, if we have insulin resistance, and if we are heading towards pre-diabetes.”

Dr Arora explained: “So, if your stomach is very protruding and you have a belly paunch, and especially if it is very hard, this is a dangerous sign. Meaning you have visceral fat; fat is accumulating in the stomach, inside the organs, and there is a full chance of fatty liver. If you have warts (skin growths/moles) on your neck or warts in your armpit, we call that a skin tag. This is the number one sign of insulin resistance.”

One of most important features of insulin resistance

He went on to add: “If small lines are appearing on your feet – red-coloured, purple-coloured, especially on the ankle – then this is also a sign of insulin resistance... if your cheekbones are not visible and your face has become very fat/puffy, this is also a sign of fatty liver. If your blood pressure is rising, above 140, meaning even 145, or 150, this is quite dangerous. This is one of the most important clinical features of insulin resistance.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.