LIVER DISEASE
LIVER DISEASE simply means your liver is infected or ‘sick’ and unable to perform its daily functions effectively. Such condition requires immediate medical attention as prolonged liver disorders can lead to potentially deadly consequences.
Whether your liver is infected with a virus, injured by chemicals or under attack from your own immune system, the basic danger is the same - that your liver will become so damaged that it can no longer work to keep you alive. Because the liver has NO major pain nerves, liver disorders often goes unnoticed until too late, resulting in serious liver damage and eventual death!
There are many types of liver disease but the early stages starts from inflammation to fibrosis to cirrhosis to liver failure and DEATH!
INFLAMMATION
In the early stage of any liver disease, your liver may become inflamed. It may become tender and enlarged. Inflammation shows that your body is trying to fight an infection or heal an injury. But if the inflammation continues over time, it can start to hurt your liver permanently.
When most of the other parts of your body become inflamed, you can feel it as the area becomes hot and painful, but an inflamed liver may cause you no discomfort at all. If your liver disease is diagnosed and treated successfully at this stage, the inflammation may go away.
FIBROSIS
If liver inflammation is left untreated, the inflamed liver will start to scar. As excess scar tissue grows, it replaces healthy liver tissue. This process is called fibrosis (scar tissue is a kind of fibrous tissue).
Scar tissue cannot do the work that healthy liver tissue can. Moreover, scar tissue can keep blood from flowing through your liver. As more scar tissue builds up, your liver may not work as well as it once did or the healthy part of your liver has to work harder to make up for the scarred part. If this keeps on, the liver will eventually suffer serious damage and lead to serious complications. If your liver disease is diagnosed and treated successfully at this stage, there’s still a chance that your liver can heal itself over time.
CIRRHOSIS
If liver fibrosis if left untreated, your liver may become so seriously scarred that it can no longer heal itself. At this stage when the damage cannot be reversed, it is called cirrhosis (liver scarring or hardening).
Cirrhosis can lead to a number of complications, including liver cancer. In some people, the symptoms of liver cirrhosis may be the first signs of liver disease.
- In blood vessels leading to your liver, the blood may back up because of blockage.
* This may cause the blood vessels to burst.
- Toxins may build up in your brain, causing problems with concentration, memory, sleeping and
other mental functions.
- Water may build up in your legs and/or abdomen..
- You may become more sensitive to medications and their side effects.
- You may develop insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes.
- Your skin and eyes may take on a yellow color, a condition called jaundice.
- Your skin may itch intensely.
- You may bleed or bruise easily.
Once you’ve been diagnosed with cirrhosis, treatment will focus on keeping your condition from getting worse. It may be possible to stop or slow the liver damage. It is important to protect the healthy liver tissue you have left. Appropriate treatment can sometimes reduce these complications, but ultimately, the liver can become so damaged from cirrhosis that it completely stops functioning leading to death.
LIVER FAILURE
Liver failure means that your liver is losing or has lost all of its function. This is a life-threatening condition that demands urgent medical care as you can't live more than 24hrs without your liver.
The first symptoms of liver failure are often:
- Diarrhea.
- Fatigue.
- Loss of appetite.
- Nausea.
Because these symptoms can have any number of causes, it may be hard to tell that the liver is failing. But as liver failure progresses, the symptoms become more serious and the patient may become confused, disoriented and extremely sleepy. There is a risk of coma and death and as such, immediate treatment is needed. The medical team will try to save whatever part of the liver that still works. If this is not possible, the only option may be a liver transplant.
When liver failure occurs as a result of cirrhosis, it usually means that the liver has been failing gradually for some time, possibly for years. This is called chronic liver failure.
Chronic liver failure can also be caused by malnutrition. More rarely, liver failure can occur suddenly, in as little as 48 hours. This is called acute liver failure and is usually a reaction to poisoning or a medication overdose.
Cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure are serious conditions that can threaten your life. Once you have reached these stages of liver disease, your treatment options may be very limited.
Talk to your doctor about liver disease. It’s important to catch liver disease early, in the inflammation and fibrosis stages. If you are treated successfully at these stages, your liver may have a chance to heal itself and recover.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and communication purpose only, for use in the maintenance and promotion of good health and should not be construed as personal medical advice or presented with the intention of diagnosing any disease or condition or prescribing any treatment. Bio Healthcare Enterprise shall hold No responsibility or liability on any untoward effects or incidents which may arise as a result of any misinterpretation of this information.
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