While alcohol is the number one reason for cirrhosis, this condition is an irreversible and deadly liver disease that the liver cannot recover from, even after ethanol cessation.
Just as in other areas of the body, an abscess can form in the liver. An abscess, which is a fluid-filled pocket of pus, may contain parasites, bacteria, or some other type of infection. Imaging tests would be conducted in order to diagnose a liver abscess, likely after blood tests were taken. Most often, liver disease is first noted by high liver enzymes found during complete blood count CBC tests or other types of lab tests. Just like in other parts of the body, the treatment for most abscesses would be antibiotics.
Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare liver disease entirely unrelated to alcohol. Pregnant women and those with chronic inflammatory disease are more at risk, but it remains a rare disease. In this syndrome, blood flow is cut off to the liver by blood clots, which causes blood to back up into the liver. If undetected, this could even cause scarring and cirrhosis.
However, if discovered, blood thinners can help alleviate the problem. Hepatitis is often associated with being a sexually transmitted disease STD , but there are many types of hepatitis, all of which inflames the liver. Hepatitis C is the type that is often transmitted through needles or bodily fluids. Hepatitis A can be transmitted through contaminated food, while B can also be transmitted through bodily fluids.
There are also less common types, such as hepatitis D or E. Depending on the type, hepatitis can be acute and short-term, or it can be a long0term disease that warrants lifelong medical attention and care.
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver. It is most often caused by excessive alcohol consumption, although it can occasionally be caused by other liver diseases. Instead of creating healthy tissue, over time, all healthy tissue is eventually covered by scarred tissue, and the liver is unable to function properly. Many other types of liver disease are reversible like fatty liver or manageable like hepatitis. However, cirrhosis is not. Once the liver has been brought to this stage, all that can be managed are the symptoms.
Cirrhosis, typically without fail, leads to liver failure. There are a few things you can do to prevent liver disease. Science disagrees slightly on daily and weekly drinking levels between men and women.
However, generally speaking, the daily level is roughly two drinks for women and three drinks for men to avoid liver problems and to promote good liver function. Eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise is also vital to have a healthy liver. In addition to alcohol consumption, obesity has been tied to liver disease as well. There are several tests that can quickly and painlessly reveal the extent of your liver damage and that will determine the right course of therapy.
The liver is the largest internal organ, and a surprisingly powerful one at that. Liver disease can be caused by variety of different illnesses and conditions, including: Hepatitis A, B and C. Long-term alcohol abuse. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Adverse reactions to certain prescription and herbal medications. Acetaminophen Tylenol overdose. Hemochromatosis an inherited disorder that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. Ingestion of poisonous wild mushrooms.
Abdominal Swelling A swollen abdomen can point to a condition called ascites, in which liver malfunction leads to an imbalance of proteins and other compounds, and fluid builds up in the tissues.
The main symptom, potbelly, often signals cirrhosis. Bruising A damaged liver produces fewer of the proteins necessary for blood clotting, which means you may bleed and bruise more easily. The liver is the body's second-largest organ skin is the largest organ , according to the American Liver Foundation ALF , weighing about 3 lbs. At any given moment, the liver holds about 1 pint half a liter of blood — about 13 percent of the body's blood supply, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The liver is shaped like a football, or a cone, and consists of two main lobes. Each lobe has eight segments that consist of 1, small lobes, or lobules, according to Johns Hopkins. The lobules are connected to ducts that transport bile to the gallbladder and small intestine. In fact, more than vital functions have been identified with the liver, according to Johns Hopkins, including:. One of the best-known roles of the liver is as a detoxification system.
It removes toxic substances from blood, such as alcohol and drugs, according to the Canadian Liver Foundation. It also breaks down hemoglobin, insulin and excessive hormones to keep hormone levels in balance.
Additionally, it destroys old blood cells. The liver is vital for healthy metabolic function. It metabolizes carbohydrates, lipids and proteins into useful substances, such as glucose, cholesterol , phospholipids and lipoproteins that are used in various cells throughout the body, according to Colorado State University's Department of Biomedical Sciences' Hypertexts for Pathophysiology: Metabolic Functions of the Liver. The liver breaks down the unusable parts of proteins and converts them into ammonia, and eventually urea.
According to the Canadian Liver Foundation , there are more than types of liver disease, and they are caused by a variety of factors, such as viruses, toxins, genetics, alcohol and unknown causes.
The following are among the most common types of liver disease:. According to the National Institutes of Health NIH , one symptom of liver disease is jaundice — yellowish skin and eyes.
Other symptoms include abdominal pain and swelling, persistent itchy skin, dark urine, pale stools, bloody or black stools, exhaustion, bruising easily, nausea and loss of appetite. There are two types of fatty liver, according to the Cleveland Clinic : that caused by excessive alcohol consumption fatty liver and that which is not non-alcoholic fatty liver or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Speaking of both conditions, Knowlton said, "Some fat on the liver is normal, but when it starts to accumulate to greater than percent, it can lead to permanent liver damage and cirrhosis.
Fatty liver "can be caused by genetics, obesity, diet, hepatitis, or alcohol abuse," said Knowlton. Other risk factors include rapid weight loss, diabetes, high cholesterol, or high trigycerides, according to the ALF.
Some people may get fatty liver even if they don't have any risk factors. Up to 25 percent of the U.
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