Liver Disease : Know the prevention, Symptoms And Treatment Options

The liver is a small organ, around the size of a football. It is directly below your ribs on the right side of your abdomen. The liver is essential for both breaking down food and ridding your body of dangerous poisons.

Liver disease may run in families (genetic). Viruses, alcohol usage, and obesity are just a few examples of the many factors that can affect the liver and result in liver problems.

Cirrhosis, which can cause liver failure and be deadly, is an illness that develops over time as a result of liver injury circumstances. Yet, prompt treatment might provide the liver with some breathing room.

Causes

There are various reasons for liver disease.

Infection

The liver can get infected by parasites and viruses, which results in inflammation and decreased liver function. The viruses that harm the liver can be transmitted by blood or semen, tainted food or water, or direct contact with an infected individual. 

The most frequent causes of liver infection are hepatitis viruses like the ones listed below:

• Influenza A
• The hepatitis B virus
• Hepatitis C
• Immune system dysfunction

Autoimmune illnesses, which happen when your immune system attacks certain bodily organs, may have an effect on your liver. Several autoimmune liver conditions include:

• Hepatitis auto-immune
• Biliary cholangitis primary
• First-stage sclerosing cholangitis
• Genetics

The buildup of numerous chemicals in your liver can result in liver disease if you have a faulty gene that you either received from one of your parents or both of them. Hepatitis genetic disorders include:

• Hemochromatosis
• Wilson's illness
• A lack of alpha-1 antitrypsin
• Growths such as cancer

Examples comprise:

• Liver tumour
• Biliary duct cancer
• Liver tumour

Other typical causes of liver disease are:

• Long-term alcoholism
• Fat accumulation in the liver (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)
• Some over-the-counter or prescription drugs
• A few herbal ingredients

How to check if you have Liver Disease?

Make an appointment with your doctor if any symptoms or indications that persist worry you. If your stomach discomfort is so intense that you are unable to remain motionless, you should seek emergency medical assistance.

Risk Factors

You may be more vulnerable to developing liver disease due to the following factors:

• Heavy drinking
• Obesity
• Diabetes type 2
• Body art or piercings
• Drug injection using shared needles
• Transfusion of blood before 1992
• Exposure to bodily fluids and blood of others
• Unrestricted sex
• Exposure to certain poisons or substances
• An inheritance of liver illness

Symptoms

There are not usually obvious symptoms and indicators of liver disease. If liver disease symptoms do appear, they may include:

• Eyes and skin that seem yellowish (jaundice)
• Swelling and discomfort in the abdomen
• Oedema in the ankles and legs
• Skin itch
• Dark-coloured urine
• Light-coloured stool
• Continual tiredness
• Nausea or diarrhoea
• Reduced appetite
• A propensity for bruising easily

In the early stages, the majority of liver diseases are symptomless.

By the time liver disease symptoms appear, your liver has already suffered injury and scarring. The term for this is cirrhosis.

Prevention

To stop liver illness:

Use alcohol sparingly. It entails up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for males for healthy individuals. Heavy or high-risk drinking is defined as more than eight drinks per week for women and more than 15 drinks per week for men.

Avert dangerous activity. While having sex, use a condom. If you decide to get a tattoo or have your body pierced, be careful about the shop's cleanliness and safety. Get help if you use illicit intravenous substances. Do not share needles if you inject drugs.

Get a vaccine. See your doctor about receiving treatment for hepatitis if you are at an elevated risk of developing it or if you have already had the virus in any form.

Take drugs as directed. Always take prescription and over-the-counter medications as directed and only when necessary. Do not combine booze with prescription drugs. Consult your doctor before using herbal supplements together with a prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Maintain your distance from the body fluids and the blood of others. Hepatitis viruses can be spread by careless handling of blood or body fluids and unintentional needle sticks.

Maintain food safety. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling food or preparing it. While visiting a developing country, drink bottled water, wash your hands often, and brush your teeth.

Be careful while using aerosol sprays. When applying insecticides, fungicides, paint, and other harmful materials, make sure to spray them in an area that is well-ventilated and wear a mask.

Chemicals. Always adhere to the manufacturer's guidelines.

Keep your skin safe. Use gloves, long sleeves, a hat, and a mask while applying insecticides and other hazardous chemicals to prevent chemical absorption via your skin.

Keep a healthy weight. Liver disease has three primary causes:

• Obesity is a kind of untreated hepatitis
• Abuse of alcohol

By making a few little modifications to your lifestyle, such as:

• Maintaining a healthy weight and abstaining from excessive alcohol consumption
• Both hepatitis A and hepatitis B have vaccines available. If you are in danger, these are advised.

Treatments

Your diagnosis will determine how to treat your liver condition. Certain liver conditions can be managed with lifestyle changes, such as giving up drinking or decreasing weight, usually as part of a medical plan that also involves continuous liver function monitoring. Some liver issues can need surgery or drug treatment.

A liver transplant may eventually be needed as treatment for liver disease that causes or has caused liver failure.

Your liver health may frequently be improved by changing some of your lifestyle behaviours. If you have been given a liver disease diagnosis, your doctor can advise you to:

•  Consume alcohol cautiously.
• Red meat, trans fats, refined carbs, and foods containing high-fructose corn syrup should all be avoided.
• Work out at a moderate level for 30 to 60 minutes three to four times a week.
• If you are overweight, reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories.

Complications of Liver Disease

There are a variety of liver disease consequences, depending on the cause of your liver problems. Untreated liver disease may develop into liver failure, a condition that poses a serious risk to life.

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