Liver Function
The liver performs many functions essential for good health and long life. Among its most important jobs are:
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Symptoms Of Liver Problems
What are the signs and symptoms of steatotic (fatty) liver disease?
SLD doesn’t always cause symptoms. When they’re present, symptoms include:
Jaundice
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Water Retention
Itching
Easy bruising
Red palms
Ascites
Malaise
Dark urine
Pale feces
Sleep disorder
Abdominal distension
Hematemesis
Abdominal pain
Dyspnea
Early signs of liver issues
Weight loss
Bad breath
Bleeding
Confusion
Fever
Weakness and muscle wasting
Bad breath
Fatty Liver: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
What Is Fatty Liver Disease?
Fatty liver disease (FLD) means you have excess fat in your liver. You might hear your doctor call it hepatic steatosis. Most of the time, it doesn’t cause symptoms, but over time a buildup of fat makes it harder for your liver to work. With medication,diet and exercise, fatty liver disease can be reversed.
Fatty Liver Disease Types
There are two main types of FLD:
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH): This used to be known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It’s the advanced stage of FLD and means you have inflammation in your liver. The inflammation and liver cell damage that happen with MASH can cause serious problems such as fibrosis and cirrhosis, which are types of liver scarring, and liver cancer. These problems can lead to liver failure and require a liver transplant. About 20% of people with MASLD have MASH.
- Alcohol-related fatty liver disease (ALD). This type is less common, affecting about 5% of people living in the U.S., and is caused by drinking alcohol. For this reason, it usually gets better if you stop drinking alcohol soon enough. If you keep drinking, ALD can cause serious problems that progress in stages: Enlarged liver. It doesn’t always cause symptoms, but you may have pain or discomfort on the upper right side of your belly. Alcoholic hepatitis. This is swelling in the liver that can cause fever, nausea, vomiting, belly pain, and jaundice (yellowish skin and eyes).
Fatty Liver Disease Symptoms
Causes
Alcoholic liver disease most often occurs after years of heavy drinking. Over time, scarring and cirrhosis can occur. Cirrhosis is the final phase of alcoholic liver disease.
Alcoholic liver disease does not occur in all heavy drinkers. The chances of getting liver disease go up the longer you have been drinking and more alcohol you consume. You do not have to get drunk for the disease to happen.
The disease is most common in people between 40 and 50 years of age. Men are more likely to have this problem. However, women may develop the disease after less exposure to alcohol than men. Some people may have an inherited risk for the disease.
Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to dangerous damage called alcoholic liver disease. Let’s talk today about alcoholic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease usually occurs after years of drinking too much. The longer you’ve abused alcohol, and the more alcohol you’ve consumed, the greater likelihood you will develop liver disease. Alcohol may cause swelling and inflammation in your liver, or something called hepatitis. Over time, this can lead to scarring and cirrhosis of the liver, which is the final phase of alcoholic liver disease. The damage caused by cirrhosis is unfortunately irreversible. To determine if you have alcoholic liver disease your doctor will probably test your blood, take a biopsy of the liver, and do a liver function test. You should also have other tests to rule out other diseases that could be causing your symptoms. Your symptoms may vary depending upon the severity of your disease. Usually, symptoms are worse after a recent period of heavy drinking. In fact, you may not even have symptoms until the disease is pretty advanced. Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red. You may notice small, red, spider-like blood vessels on your skin. You may have abnormal bleeding. Your stools might be dark, bloody, black, or tarry. You may have frequent nosebleeds or bleeding gums. You may vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. Alcoholic liver disease also can affect your brain and nervous system. Symptoms include agitation, changing mood, confusion, and pain, numbness, or a tingling sensation in your arms or legs. The most important part of treatment is to stop drinking alcohol completely. If you don’t have liver cirrhosis yet, your liver can actually heal itself, that is, if you stop drinking alcohol. You may need an alcohol rehabilitation program or counseling to break free from alcohol. Vitamins, especially B-complex vitamins and folic acid, can help reverse malnutrition. If cirrhosis develops, you will need to manage the problems it can cause. It may even lead to needing a liver transplant.
EARLY SYMPTOMS INCLUDES:
- Loss of energy
- Poor appetite and weight loss
- Nausea
- Belly pain
- Small, red spider-like blood vessels on the skin
As liver function worsens, symptoms may include:
- Fluid buildup of the legs (edema) and in the abdomen (ascites)
- Yellow color in the skin, mucous membranes, or eyes (jaundice)
- Redness on the palms of the hands
- In men, impotence, shrinking of the testicles, and breast swelling
- Easy bruising and abnormal bleeding
- Confusion or problems thinking
- Pale or clay-colored stools
- Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract
Treatment
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
- Stop drinking alcohol.
- Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt.
- Get vaccinated for diseases such as influenza, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, and pneumococcal pneumonia.
- Talk to your provider about all medicines you take, including herbs and supplements and over-the-counter medicines.
Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. The infection can be acute (short and severe) or chronic (long term).
Hepatitis B can cause a chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
It can spread through contact with infected body fluids like blood, saliva, vaginal fluids and semen. It can also be passed from a mother to her baby.
Hepatitis B can be prevented with a safe and effective herbal tea, medicine and vaccine. The vaccine is usually given soon after birth with boosters a few weeks later. It offers nearly 100% protection against the virus.
Hepatitis B is a major global health problem. The burden of infection is highest in the WHO Western Pacific Region and the WHO African Region, where 97 million and 65 million people, respectively, are chronically infected. Sixty-one million people are infected in the WHO South-East Asia Region, 15 million in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, 11 million in the WHO in the WHO European Region and 5 million in the WHO Region of the Americas.
Transmission
In highly endemic areas, hepatitis B is most commonly spread from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission) or through horizontal transmission (exposure to infected blood), especially from an infected child to an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life. The development of chronic infection is common in infants infected from their mothers or before the age of 5 years.
Hepatitis B is also spread by needlestick injury, tattooing, piercing and exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as saliva and menstrual, vaginal and seminal fluids. Transmission of the virus may also occur through the reuse of contaminated needles and syringes or sharp objects either in health care settings, in the community or among persons who inject drugs. Sexual transmission is more prevalent in unvaccinated persons with multiple sexual partners.
Hepatitis B infection acquired in adulthood leads to chronic hepatitis in less than 5% of cases, whereas infection in infancy and early childhood leads to chronic hepatitis in about 95% of cases. This is the basis for strengthening and prioritizing infant and childhood vaccination.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least 7 days. During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine. The incubation period of the hepatitis B virus ranges from 30 to 180 days. The virus may be detected within 30 to 60 days after infection and can persist and develop into chronic hepatitis B, especially when transmitted in infancy or childhood.
HBV-HIV coinfection
About 1% of persons living with HBV infection (2.7 million people) are also infected with HIV. Conversely, the global prevalence of HBV infection in HIV-infected persons is 7.4%. Since 2015, WHO has recommended treatment for everyone diagnosed with HIV infection, regardless of the stage of disease. Tenofovir, which is included in the treatment combinations recommended as first-line therapy for HIV infection, is also active against HBV.
SYMPTOMS
- yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- dark urine
- feeling very tired
- nausea
- vomiting
- pain in the abdomen.
PREVENTION
practice safe sex by using condoms and reducing the number of sexual partners
avoid sharing needles or any equipment used for injecting drugs, piercing, or tattooing
wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after coming into contact with blood, body fluids, or contaminated surfaces
get a hepatitis medicine or B vaccine if working in a healthcare setting.
