Understanding Liver Disease: Symptoms, Prevention, and Vital Tips

Essentially an integral part of the body, the Liver holds significance for digesting food and clearing toxic substances. Its responsibility is to protect from contaminated substances accumulating in your body. Like other body parts, the Liver is prone to diseases because of viruses, alcohol consumption, obesity, and different other factors. With different forms of Liver diseases, each of them has its own set of symptoms indicating their invasion over your body. But, this does not mean that liver diseases cannot be prevented. As it is said, prevention is better than cure, and the same is applicable here too. Let’s start by identifying certain common causes leading to live diseases. 

Common Causes of Liver Disease: 

Virus Attack:

Virus attacks on the Liver are very common as they result in inflammation leading to swelling in your liver. This swelling can affect the proper functioning of the organ. This infection could cause hepatitis A, B, and C, which has the tendency to damage your liver or worsen its condition.

Drug Abuse:

These days, the consumption of drugs is considered a way to escape from stress or anxiety. The people do not think the resulting adversities such as drug abuse or intake of injections can affect your liver leading to its failure in the worst condition. 

Alcohol Consumption:

Slated to be one of the most common causes of live disease, alcohol could give monetary pleasure. But, its excessive usage can lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis. Despite knowing the aftermath, people tend to consume alcohol on a daily basis. 

Blood Transfusion:

Another cause of liver disease is blood transfusion as you may not know about the presence of infection in the donor’s blood. So, it is always better to check before opting for a blood transfusion. 

Fast Food:

Needless to say, fast food has certain ingredients that make it unhealthy to consume on a daily basis. These food items are fried and laden with specified chemicals that affect your liver badly. It is because the Liver is responsible for processing food in your body. 

Obesity:

Being comfortable in your body is fine; this does not mean that obesity is accepted as a way of living a healthy lifestyle.  You should always have your weight aligned with the height. An obese person tends to become the home of various diseases including the ones affecting their liver. 

Types of Liver Diseases and Their Symptoms:

As the Liver tends to process food in your body, its disease can hamper the entire digestion system. With different liver diseases categorized scientifically, each one of them leaves a certain impact. Following are the Liver diseases:

Hepatitis A:

Hepatitis A is a viral infection in the Liver, which can lead to swelling. The disease-causing Hepatitis A virus (HAV) can spread through contaminated food, drinks, or even the infected person. Indeed, this virus tends to spread out in unhygienic conditions. 

Symptoms:

        Jaundice

        Loss of Appetite

        Stomach Pain

        Dark Urine

        Diarrhoea 

        Nausea

        Vomiting

        Fever

Hepatitis B:

Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease that transmits through taking drugs or coming in contact with an infected person. The HBV (Hepatitis B Virus) may spread faster than the Hepatitis A and cause liver failure.  

Symptoms:

        Fever

        Fatigue

        Nausea

        Vomiting

        Loss of Appetite

        Dark Urine

        Clay-colored Bowel Movements

        Stomach Ache

        Joint Pain

        Headache

        Yellow Eyes

Hepatitis C:

Hepatitis C is one of the most chronic liver diseases you can catch the virus by coming in contact with the infected person or sharing the needles. Along with this, it can get transmitted through blood transfusion too.  

Symptoms:

        Acute Pain in the Right Upper Abdomen

        Swelling in the Abdomen

        Itching

        Jaundice

        Fatigue

        Fever

        Dark Urine

        Muscle Pain

Primary Biliary Cholangitis:

Primary Biliary Cholangitis is a dreadful liver disease that attacks its small tubes called bile ducts. These tubes carry bile, which is a specialized chemical in the body aiding in digestion. When the small ducts get injured or infected, the bile refluxes back to the liver and starts scarring it. This disease is more visible in women than in men. 

Symptoms:

        Swelling in Feet and Ankles

        Fluid Building in Abdomen

        Jaundice

        Fat Deposits on the Skin

        Fatigue

        Joint Pain

        Itchy Skin

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis:

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis infection tends to scar the bile ducts and block them. As a part of this, the bile starts building in your liver which makes it harder to function properly. In fact, such a liver disease can lead to liver cancer, necessitating a transplant surgery. This medical condition is more often seen in men than women. 

Symptoms: 

        Night Sweats

        Chills

        Fever

        Enlarged Liver

        Weight Loss

        Enlarged Spleen

        Fatigue

        Itching

        Stomach Pain

Liver Cancer:

Liver cancer starts spreading in the cells of the liver, which is positioned just above the stomach on the right side. The most common type of Liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma, which starts in the liver cell named hepatocyte. Other forms are hepatoblastoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma which are less common. The main reason for liver cancer is excessive alcohol consumption and cell DNA mutations. 

Symptoms: 

        Loss of Appetite

        Weight Loss

        Pain in the Upper Abdomen

        Weakness

        Fatigue

        Swelling in Stomach

        Jaundice

        White Stool

        Vomiting

Bile Duct Cancer:

Bile Duct Cancer is an infection that affects the tubes running from the liver to small intestines for carrying bile. Indeed, the bile is a fluid that aids in digesting the food in your body. Though this form of cancer affects people over 50 years of age, it stands uncommon in society. 

Symptoms:

        Jaundice

        Itchy Skin

        Dark-colored Stool

        Loss of Appetite

        Sudden Weight Loss

        Fatigue

        Stomach Ache

        Chills and Shivers

Liver Cell Adenoma:

Liver Cell Adenoma is the presence of a tumor in the liver, which has been detected in women taking birth control pills more often. This tumor is benign in the initial phase. But, it can turn cancerous or malign on excessive intake of birth control pills. 

Symptoms:

        Pain in the Upper Side of the Stomach

        Bloating of the Stomach

        Increased Pulse Rate

        Vomiting

        Chills in the Body

Hemochromatosis:

Hemochromatosis is a condition where the liver stores excessive iron from the intake of food. The extra amount of iron starts building up in the heart, liver, and other organs too. Certainly, this condition can be life-threatening leading to chronic liver or heart diseases. A person having Hemochromatosis can get diabetes as their sugar level increases. 

Symptoms:

        Joint Pain

        Weakness

        Diabetes

        Fatigue

        Abdominal Pain

        Fever

        Heart Failure

        Impotency

Hyperoxaluria:

Hyperoxaluria is a medical condition of liver disease where urine gets an excessive amount of a chemical named oxalate. This chemical is generated by the liver because of a genetic mutation. As a result of such a complication in the liver, a person can develop kidney stones and even kidney failure. Not onlyss this, the problem can be aggravated by spreading to other organs. 

Symptoms:

        Severe Back Pain

        Blood in the Urine

        Pain in the Lower Abdomen

        Frequent Urination

        Fever

        Pain While Urinating

Willson Disease:

Willson Disease is identified by excessive buildup of copper in the liver and other organs of the body. This disease not only affects the liver, it attacks your nervous system too. This could lead to psychiatric problems in the affected person.

Symptoms:

        Loss of Appetite

        Pain in the Stomach

        Building up of fluid in Legs

        Stiffness in the Muscles

        Jaundice

        Brown Rings around the Corneas

Cirrhosis:

One of the most dreadful liver diseases, Cirrhosis is identified by the development of scars in the liver. As the scars in the liver start spreading, it hampers the functional aspect of the organ. In fact, the damage done to the Liver by Cirrhosis cannot be cured completely. All you can do is take precautionary measures to reduce the spread. Needless to say, this condition could be life-threatening. 

Symptoms:

        Easy Bruising and Bleeding

        Fatigue

        Loss of Appetite

        Swelling in the Legs and Feet

        Itchy Skin

        Weight Loss

        Jaundice

Conclusion: 

Every liver disease has its own specified symptoms with Jaundice, Fatigue, and Loss of Appetite identified as the common factors. As a critical organ, the Liver is intended to aid in digestion, boost metabolism, detoxification, and store vitamins in the body. So, an infection in the liver could hamper its proper functioning.in such a condition, you may develop various infections in the liver, which can affect your overall health. Some of the liver diseases can be handled with medication or other treatments. But, there are a few diseases that cannot be cured after a certain stage. It is always better to consult your doctor before experiencing any of the symptoms associated with liver disease.