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Liver Clinic Department

Speciality Clinics

Liver Clinic

What are liver diseases?

Your liver is a large and powerful organ that performs hundreds of essential functions in your body. One of its most important functions is filtering toxins from your blood. While your liver is well-equipped for this job, its role as a filter makes it vulnerable to the toxins it processes. Too many toxins can overwhelm your liver’s resources and ability to function. This can happen temporarily or over a long period of time. Liver diseases typically refer to chronic conditions that do progressive damage to your liver over time.

What are the stages of chronic liver diseases?

Chronic liver disease progresses in roughly four stages:

Stage 1: Hepatitis
Liver tissues become inflamed when you have hepatitis. Inflammation is the liver's reaction to harm or poison. It is an effort to get rid of infections and get the healing process going. An instantaneous and transient response such as acute hepatitis often achieves this. However, the inflammation also continues as long as the damage or poisoning. Hyperactive healing brought on by chronic hepatitis eventually leads to scarring (fibrosis).

Stage 2: Fibrosis
Fibrosis is the gradual hardening of the liver caused by the accumulation of narrow bands of scar tissue. Scar tissue decreases blood flow through the liver, limiting its availability to oxygen and nutrients. This is how your liver's vitality steadily decreases. However, some fibrosis can be reversed. Your liver cells can regenerate, and scarring can be reduced if the damage is slow enough to allow for recovery.

Stage 3: Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a condition that causes extensive and persistent scarring in the liver. This is the stage at which fibrosis is irreversible. When your liver's healthy cells are depleted, its tissues cannot renew. However, you can still reduce or stop the damage at this point. Cirrhosis will begin to impair liver function, but your body will try to compensate for the loss, so you may not notice at first.

Stage 4: Liver failure
Liver failure occurs when your liver can no longer operate properly to meet your body's needs. This is also known as "decompensated cirrhosis" since your body can no longer compensate for the losses. As liver functions begin to deteriorate, you will see the impacts throughout your body. Chronic liver failure develops gradually but is deadly without a liver transplant. You cannot live without a liver.

What are different types of liver diseases?

  1. Hepatitis

    Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by viral infections.

    Hepatitis A is typically spread by contaminated food or water.
    Hepatitis B is transmitted via blood, sexual contact, or from mother to child at birth.
    Hepatitis C is mainly transmitted by blood-to-blood contact.
    Hepatitis D only affects persons infected with hepatitis B.
    Hepatitis E is usually spread by contaminated water.

  2. Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD)

    Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is caused by excessive alcohol intake, which results in fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and eventually cirrhosis.

  3. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

    Liver fat accumulates in the absence of heavy alcohol consumption. Fibrosis, cirrhosis, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can develop from it.

  4. Cirrhosis

    Liver tissue scarring, often brought on by long-term alcohol misuse and chronic liver disorders like hepatitis.

  5. Liver Cancer

    Comprises both secondary (metastatic) liver cancer and primary liver cancer, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).

  6. Hemochromatosis

    A hereditary condition that results in the liver accumulating excessive iron.

  7. Wilson’s Disease

    A genetic condition that causes the liver and other organs to accumulate copper.

  8. Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)

    A chronic condition that gradually destroys the liver's bile ducts.

  9. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)

    Damage to the liver caused by bile duct inflammation and scarring.

  10. Autoimmune Hepatitis

    A condition where the immune system attacks liver cells resulting in inflammation and liver damage.

  11. Liver Infections

    Caused by parasites, bacteria, or other pathogens.

  12. Liver Cysts

    Fluid-filled sacs that are sometimes benign but can occasionally lead to problems in the liver.

  13. Acute Liver Failure

    Rapid decrease in liver function, frequently brought on by infections, medications, or toxins (such as an overdose of acetaminophen).

  14. Gilbert’s Syndrome

    A hereditary disorder that raises bilirubin levels and causes mild jaundice.

  15. Liver Abscess

    A buildup of pus brought on by an infection in the liver.

Signs of poor liver health

When your liver function starts to deteriorate, you can start experiencing noticeable symptoms. This occurs especially in the advanced phases of liver disease. A primary consequence of deteriorating liver health is that bile flow stalls in your biliary tract. Bile is no longer efficiently produced by your liver or delivered to your small intestine. Bile starts to seep into your bloodstream instead. This results in particular symptoms, such as:

  • Jaundice
  • Dark-colored urine
  • Light-colored stool
  • Digestive difficulties
  • Weight and muscle loss
  • Musty-smelling breath
  • Mild brain impairment
  • Pruritus

Liver diseases can impact your blood flow, hormones, and nutritional condition as it progresses. This may manifest in a number of ways. Your skin and nails may exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Spoon nails
  • Terry’s nails
  • Nail clubbing
  • Spider angiomas
  • Tiny red dots on your skin
  • Easy bleeding and bruising
  • Red palms of your hands
  • Small yellow bumps of fat deposits

You may experience signs that fluids are seeping out of your blood vessels and building up inside your body including:

  • Swollen abdomen
  • Swollen ankles, feet, hands and face

What are the risk factors for liver diseases?

Liver disease may be more likely to strike if you:

  • Consume a lot of alcohol.
  • Administer medications intravenously.
  • Often use pain relievers like acetaminophen or aspirin.
  • Existing metabolic syndrome.
  • Are regularly exposed to toxic chemicals.
  • Are frequently in contact with bodily fluids or blood of others.

Diagnosis of Liver diseases

Your physical examination will be the first step in a medical professional's liver disease screening process. They'll inquire about your symptoms and search for obvious indicators. They might also inquire about your past medical history, way of life, and nutrition. Lastly, they will examine for liver illness using imaging scans and laboratory testing. These could consist of:

  • Blood Tests:

    Liver disease symptoms, severity and liver failure can all be uncovered with a panel of liver function tests. These measure the quantities of bilirubin, proteins, and liver enzymes in your blood. Blood testing might also reveal negative effects such decreased blood clotting, inflammation, or particular disorders.

  • Imaging Tests:

    Your liver's size, shape, and texture can be seen using an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan (computed tomography scan), or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). This may show growths, fibrosis, edema and inflammation.

  • Elastography

    A unique kind of imaging test known as elastography measures the degree of liver fibrosis or stiffness using MRI or ultrasonic technology.

  • Endoscopy

    Doctor’s utilize an endoscopic imaging technique if they need to see into your biliary tract. An endoscope, a tiny camera, is sent through your upper gastrointestinal tract during an endoscopy. They can view your bile ducts using ERCP or EUS from the endoscope.

  • Nuclear medicine imaging

    A gamma camera is used in a nuclear liver and spleen scan to find a radioactive tracer that has been introduced into your body but is safe. The parts that aren't working properly will be highlighted by how your liver absorbs the tracer.

  • Liver Biopsy

    A liver biopsy is a simple technique that involves removing a tiny sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing. Typically, a hollow needle can be used by a medical professional to collect the sample. A liver biopsy may be necessary to diagnose cirrhosis, rule out malignancy, and ascertain its origin.

Do’s & Don'ts for Liver Health

  • Maintain a healthy weight

  • Eat a balanced
    diet

  • Exercise
    regularly

  • Avoid
    toxins

  • Use alcohol
    responsibly

  • Avoid the use of
    illicit drugs

  • Avoid contaminated needles

  • Get medical care if you’re exposed to blood

  • Don’t share personal hygiene items

  • Practice safe sex

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