risk factors
Some liver diseases are potentially preventable and are associated with lifestyle choices. Alcohol-related liver disease is due to excessive consumption and is the most common preventable cause of liver disease.
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that are most often spread through the exchange of bodily fluids (for example, unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing unsterilized drug injecting equipment, using non-sterilized equipment for tattoos or body piercing).
Hereditary liver disease can be passed genetically from generation to generation. Examples include Wilson's disease (copper metabolism abnormalaties) and hemochromatosis (iron overload).
Chemical exposure may damage the liver by irritating the liver cells resulting in inflammation (hepatitis), reducing bile flow through the liver (cholestasis) and accumulation of triglycerides (steatosis). Chemicals such as anabolic steroids, vinyl chloride, and carbon tetrachloride can cause liver cancers.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is a common cause of liver failure. It is important to review the dosing guidelines for all over-the-counter medications and to ask for guidance from your health care professional or pharmacist as to how much may be taken safely.
Medications may irritate the blood vessels causing narrowing or formation blood clots (thrombosis). Birth control pills may cause hepatic vein thrombosis, especially in smokers.
in short
A job that exposes you to other people's blood and body fluids
Blood transfusion before 1992
Body piercings
Certain herbs and supplements
Certain prescription medications
Diabetes
Heavy alcohol use
High levels of triglycerides in your blood
Injecting drugs using shared needles
Obesity
Tattoos
Unprotected sex
Working with chemicals or toxins without following safety precautions
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 be 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.
Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:
a)A person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. If the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.
b)Gilbert's disease has no symptoms, and in an incidental finding on a blood test where the bilirubin level is mildly elevated.
c)Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body's waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include:
easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors;
bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching;
gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones;specifically an increase in estradiol;
impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;
confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it), ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and
muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production
treatment and drugs
Treatment for liver problems depends on your diagnosis. Some liver problems can be treated with medications. Others may require surgery.
Liver transplant may ultimately be required for liver problems that cause liver failure.
complications
Except for gallstone disease and some viral infections such as Hepatitis A and infectious mononucleosis, most liver diseases are managed and not cured.
Liver disease can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Associated complications may include increased risk of bleeding and infection, malnutrition and weight loss, and decreased cognitive function.
Some liver diseases are associated with an increased risk of developing liver cancer.
tests and diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose liver problems include:
Blood tests. A group of blood tests called liver function tests can be used to diagnose liver problems. Other blood tests can be done to look for specific liver problems or inherited conditions that affect the liver.
Imaging tests. Procedures that create pictures of your liver, such as computerized tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, can reveal liver problems.
Tests of liver tissue. A procedure to remove tissue from your liver (liver biopsy) may help in diagnosing liver problems. Liver biopsy is most often done using a long needle inserted through the skin to extract a tissue sample (needle biopsy). The tissue sample is sent to a laboratory where it can be examined under a microscope.
Some liver diseases are potentially preventable and are associated with lifestyle choices. Alcohol-related liver disease is due to excessive consumption and is the most common preventable cause of liver disease.
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that are most often spread through the exchange of bodily fluids (for example, unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing unsterilized drug injecting equipment, using non-sterilized equipment for tattoos or body piercing).
Hereditary liver disease can be passed genetically from generation to generation. Examples include Wilson's disease (copper metabolism abnormalaties) and hemochromatosis (iron overload).
Chemical exposure may damage the liver by irritating the liver cells resulting in inflammation (hepatitis), reducing bile flow through the liver (cholestasis) and accumulation of triglycerides (steatosis). Chemicals such as anabolic steroids, vinyl chloride, and carbon tetrachloride can cause liver cancers.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is a common cause of liver failure. It is important to review the dosing guidelines for all over-the-counter medications and to ask for guidance from your health care professional or pharmacist as to how much may be taken safely.
Medications may irritate the blood vessels causing narrowing or formation blood clots (thrombosis). Birth control pills may cause hepatic vein thrombosis, especially in smokers.
in short
A job that exposes you to other people's blood and body fluids
Blood transfusion before 1992
Body piercings
Certain herbs and supplements
Certain prescription medications
Diabetes
Heavy alcohol use
High levels of triglycerides in your blood
Injecting drugs using shared needles
Obesity
Tattoos
Unprotected sex
Working with chemicals or toxins without following safety precautions
symptoms
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 be 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.
Examples of liver disease symptoms due to certain conditions or diseases include:
a)A person with gallstones may experience right upper abdominal pain and vomiting after eating a greasy (fatty) meal. If the gallbladder becomes infected, fever may occur.
b)Gilbert's disease has no symptoms, and in an incidental finding on a blood test where the bilirubin level is mildly elevated.
c)Individuals with cirrhosis will develop progressive symptoms as the liver fails. Some symptoms are directly related to the inability of the liver to metabolize the body's waste products. Others reflect the failure of the liver to manufacture proteins required for body function and may affect blood clotting function, secondary sex characteristics and brain function. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver include:
easy bruising may occur due to decreased production of clotting factors;
bile salts can deposit in the skin causing itching;
gynecomastia or enlarged breasts in men may occur because of an imbalance in sex hormones;specifically an increase in estradiol;
impotence (erectile dysfunction, ED), poor sex drive and shrinking testicles are due to decrease in function of sex hormones;
confusion and lethargy may occur if ammonia levels rise in the blood stream (ammonia is a waste product formed from protein metabolism and requires normal liver cells to remove it), ascites (fluid accumulation within the abdominal cavity) occurs because of decreased protein production; and
muscle wasting may occur because of reduced protein production
treatment and drugs
Treatment for liver problems depends on your diagnosis. Some liver problems can be treated with medications. Others may require surgery.
Liver transplant may ultimately be required for liver problems that cause liver failure.
complications
Except for gallstone disease and some viral infections such as Hepatitis A and infectious mononucleosis, most liver diseases are managed and not cured.
Liver disease can progress to cirrhosis and liver failure. Associated complications may include increased risk of bleeding and infection, malnutrition and weight loss, and decreased cognitive function.
Some liver diseases are associated with an increased risk of developing liver cancer.
tests and diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose liver problems include:
Blood tests. A group of blood tests called liver function tests can be used to diagnose liver problems. Other blood tests can be done to look for specific liver problems or inherited conditions that affect the liver.
Imaging tests. Procedures that create pictures of your liver, such as computerized tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, can reveal liver problems.
Tests of liver tissue. A procedure to remove tissue from your liver (liver biopsy) may help in diagnosing liver problems. Liver biopsy is most often done using a long needle inserted through the skin to extract a tissue sample (needle biopsy). The tissue sample is sent to a laboratory where it can be examined under a microscope.
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