Hepatitis Hepatitis is often associated with being a sexually transmitted disease STD , but there are many types of hepatitis, all of which inflames the liver. Cirrhosis Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver. Preventing Liver Disease There are a few things you can do to prevent liver disease.
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Book Appointment Find a Location. Start typing and press enter to search. Anthony Colvin, M. Ronnie Cyzner, M. Stephen Deal, M. Fowler, M. Lanre Jimoh, M. Narang, M. Glen L. Portwood, M. Preston P. Purdum III, M. Barry R. Schneider, M. Stephen Stephenson, M. Eric B. Thompson, M. Treatment may include an antibiotic or antifungal medicine, and the abscess may be drained.
Follow-up imaging tests of the liver are normally conducted to ensure the abscess is gone and that there is no permanent damage. Cirrhosis is an irreversible scarring of the liver.
The liver slowly gets worse and becomes unable to work properly due to long-lasting injury. Over time, scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, and this can begin to block the flow of blood through the liver.
A healthy liver can regenerate its damaged cells. If the damage is too severe or long-lasting, the liver cannot completely repair itself, and it creates scar tissue instead.
Cirrhosis happens gradually, but as it gets worse, the liver will begin to fail. This can lead to chronic liver failure or end-stage liver disease where the liver can no longer perform vital functions. The buildup of blood causes an increase in blood pressure in the portal vein.
This is the vein responsible for carrying blood to the liver from the intestines. This increase in pressure is known as portal hypertension.
Portal hypertension causes fluid to build up in the abdomen. The blocked veins cause the blood flow from the liver to the heart to slow down or stop. People whose blood is most likely to clot are also more at risk of Budd-Chiari syndrome.
This includes pregnant women and those with a tumor, a chronic inflammatory disease, a clotting disorder, or an infection. According to the American Liver Foundation, chronic alcohol misuse is the leading cause of cirrhosis in the U. Normally, the liver breaks down alcohol and removes it from the body.
If a person consumes more alcohol than the liver can process, liver cells may be damaged or destroyed. A high alcohol intake can lead to a buildup of fat and inflammation in the liver, and this can result in alcoholic cirrhosis. Abdominal Swelling — This can sometimes point to a liver condition called ascites, in which a protein imbalance leads to fluid buildup.
In some cases, gravity pulls this fluid into other parts of the body, so swelling in the hands and feet may also occur. Persistent Vomiting — As your liver becomes less and less capable of filtering toxins out of your body, your digestive issues will likely become more intense.
This means that the nausea or loss of appetite you experience in early stages of liver distress can escalate to repeated unexplained vomiting.
If you experience this symptom, it may be a sign that your liver damage is progressing, so seek medical care as soon as you can. Bruising — When your liver is damaged, it does not produce an adequate amount of clotting proteins, so you may bruise and bleed more easily than usual. It can be hard to pinpoint the exact location or cause of such pains, so it is important to see a doctor. Doctors may do blood tests, ultrasounds or biopsies to determine the cause of pain.
Liver pain can be the result of a variety of causes. Some common causes are: ascites fluid in the abdomen , cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver failure, enlarged liver, liver abscess, and liver tumors. Liver failure is an urgent, life-threatening medical condition. It means that the liver has lost or is losing all of its function. Knowlton said, "Symptoms of liver failure may include nausea, appetite changes, fatigue, diarrhea, jaundice, easy bleeding.
Georgia's Emory Healthcare stated that there are two types of liver failure: chronic and acute. Chronic liver failure is the most common type of liver failure. It is the result of malnutrition, disease and cirrhosis, and it can develop slowly over years. Acute liver failure is rarer, and it can come on suddenly. Acute liver failure is usually the result of poisoning or a drug overdose. Liver failure treatments depend on the case. Knowlton said, "Treatment options are mostly supportive hospitalization and treatment until the liver recovers , but ultimately may require liver transplantation.
Donated livers can come from cadavers or living donors. In the case of living donors, the donor donates part of his or her liver to another person, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. The liver can regrow itself, so both people should end up with healthy, functional livers.
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