Liver Disease Symptoms, Signs, Treatment, and Life Expectancy

What should I know about liver disease?

The liver plays an important role in many bodily functions from protein production and blood clotting to cholesterol, glucose (sugar), and iron metabolism.

What causes liver disease?

Many diseases and conditions can affect the liver, for example, certain drugs like excessive amounts of acetaminophen, and acetaminophen combination medications like Vicodin, Norco, and statins, cirrhosis, alcohol abuse, hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, infectious mononucleosis (Epstein Barr virus), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH), and iron overload (hemochromatosis).

What are the signs and symptoms of liver disease?

Symptoms of liver diseases include weakness and fatigue, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, and yellow discoloration of the skin (jaundice).

What are the symptoms of liver disease?

Classic symptoms of liver disease include nausea, vomiting, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin due to elevated bilirubin concentrations in the bloodstream). Fatigue, weakness and weight loss may also occur. However, since there are a variety of liver diseases, the symptoms tend to be specific for that illness until late-stage liver disease and liver failure occurs.

Liver disease caused by Alcohol & Cirrhosis

As per AMRI hospitals specialist he liver can be damaged in a variety of ways. Cells can become inflamed, for example, hepatitis. Bile flow can be obstructed, for example, cholestasis).

Cholesterol or triglycerides can accumulate, for example, steatosis). Blood flow to the liver may be compromised. Liver tissue can be damaged by chemicals and minerals, or infiltrated by abnormal cells, like cancer cells.

Alcohol abuse and liver disease: Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of liver disease in North America. Alcohol is directly toxic to liver cells and can cause liver inflammation, referred to as alcoholic hepatitis. In chronic alcohol abuse, fat accumulation occurs in liver cells affecting their ability to function.

Cirrhosis of the liver (end-stagge liver disease): Cirrhosis is a late-stage of liver disease. Scarring of the liver and loss of functioning liver cells cause the liver to fail. Significant amounts of liver cells need to be damaged before the hole organ fails to function.

Essential Tips for a Healthy Liver

The liver is a wonderfully resilient and complex organ that nurtures and protects your body day in and day out. It helps neutralise and dispose of toxins, feeds your body the energy it needs to function, fights off viruses and infections, regulates sex hormones, cholesterol levels and vitamin and mineral supplies in your body. And that’s only some of its more than 500 functions.

The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself, thus making it possible for one person to donate part of their liver to another person.

By learning more about your liver and how you can keep it healthy, you may actually help reduce your risk of developing not only liver disease but also other health conditions including diabetes and heart disease.

Top tips for a healthy liver
1) Reduce alcohol

We are often told that too much alcohol is bad for us, and you may have wondered when sipping a glass of wine or beer how alcohol affects your liver. Your liver can cope with drinking a small amount of alcohol. However, the liver can only handle a certain amount of alcohol at any given time, so if you drink more than the liver can deal with by drinking too quickly, or drinking too much over a short period of time, the liver cells (hepatocytes) struggle to process it.

2) Maintain a healthy weight

Research has demonstrated that more than 70 per cent of Irish over-50s are either overweight or obese. Of those classed as obese, approximately 30 per cent will have fatty liver disease or non-alcohol fatty liver disease, putting them at high risk of liver scarring (cirrhosis), liver failure and liver cancer.

3) Avoid fad diets

Fad diets that make your weight yoyo can put excessive stress on your liver. Avoid any products that promise large amounts of weight loss in an unrealistically short period of time. Aim to lose weight at a healthy rate of ½kg-1kg per week. Liver cleansing and detox diets should also be avoided. Contrary to popular belief, no particular diet is liver cleansing, but a healthy diet improves well-being, suggested by AMRI Hospitals consultants.

4) Be aware of drug safety

With easy access to health information via the internet, you may be tempted to self-diagnose and treat your own health problems. But by not consulting a doctor, you may be putting yourself at risk for potentially hazardous side effects that can result when certain medications and/or supplements are combined. As the main organ that detoxifies most drugs, herbal remedies and vitamins, the liver is vulnerable to the toxic consequences of self-medicating.