Fatty liver is an example of hepatocellular disease. Which option best reflects this?

• A. Fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, glycogen storage disease, hemochromatosis
• B. Budd-Chiari syndrome
• C. Portal hypertension
• D. Cholangiocarcinoma

Answer: (A)

Hepatocellular diseases are those that primarily affect the liver cells (hepatocytes) themselves. Fatty liver fits this category because it involves fat accumulation within hepatocytes, a direct change in the liver parenchyma. The option that groups fatty liver with other hepatocellular conditions—such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, glycogen storage diseases, and hemochromatosis—best reflects this tissue-specific focus, showing that the problems originate in the liver cells.

The other choices point to issues outside hepatocytes: Budd-Chiari is a vascular problem of hepatic venous outflow; portal hypertension is a hemodynamic consequence of liver disease rather than a hepatocyte disorder; cholangiocarcinoma arises from the bile ducts, not the liver cells themselves.