Liver Problems: Symptoms, Complications, and Treatment

Contents

In this article, we will take a look at:

• What is the liver problem?
• How do liver problems occur?
• Who is prone to liver problems?
• Symptoms of liver problems
• Diagnosis of liver problems
• Complications of liver problems
• Treatment for liver problems

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What is a liver problem?

Liver problems occur due to conditions that disrupt the proper functioning of the liver by damaging it. Problems in the liver prohibit its metabolic, detoxification and storage functions. These damages can be generic or even caused by other factors like alcohol intake or obesity, among several factors. There are several types of liver ailments. These include a liver tumour, hepatitis, liver abscess, cirrhosis etc.

Infection in the liver due to viruses and parasites often results in inflammation and hampers the functioning of the liver. These viruses spread through blood or semen or through an infected person. The most common types of liver infection are hepatitis viruses - Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Liver problems also occur due to an abnormality in the immune system. In this type, diseases that can attack a few parts of your body affect the liver. Then there are genetic liver diseases that include Hemochromatosis, Hyperoxaluria and oxalosis, Wilson's disease and Alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency. While there are hundreds of liver diseases, at the initial stages, the symptoms may not be extreme and are often mistaken by patients as flu. But soon enough, characteristic symptoms develop.

How do liver problems occur?

Liver problems occur when a large portion of the organ is damaged owing to any liver disorder that disrupts the vital functioning of the body like blood filtration and production of essential chemicals. This can give rise to acute and chronic liver failure.

Liver problems go through various stages as it develops.

Stage 0: In this stage, the liver gets inflamed, tender and enlarged

Stage I: Inflamed liver begins to scar and excess scar tissue replaces normal and healthy liver tissue.

Stage II: Soft healthy scar tissues are replaced by hard scar tissues (Cirrhosis) and if this is left untreated, the liver fails.

Stage III: End-stage liver disease leads to decomposition that includes lung issues, variceal bleed, kidney impairment etc, and the solution lies only in transplant.

Stage IV: Cancer starts to show up in the liver.

Stage V: The above-mentioned factors add up to liver failure and this stage demands urgent medical expertise and care.

After one reaches the advanced stages, it becomes very difficult to find a fast relief. Diagnosing liver problems early on makes the whole treatment plan better. Liver diseases have several risk factors – it spreads from one person to another if the person is exposed to the infected person’s blood or body fluid.

Who is prone to liver problems?

You could be at risk of developing liver problems if:

• You share needles to inject drugs
• You drink alcohol heavily
• You have unprotected sex
• You are obese
• You are exposed to harmful toxins or chemicals
• You have diabetes

Women who drink alcohol have a higher risk of getting infected with liver problems compared to men.

What are the symptoms of liver problems? How is the liver problem diagnosed?

The symptoms of liver problems include:

• Dark urine
• Skin problems
• Nausea and fatigue
• Appetite loss
• Easy bleeding tendencies
• Abdominal cavity fluid build up
• Yellowish colour urine and skin
• Anxiety and impaired brain functioning

Diagnosis

Following the cause of damage and the extent of it, the doctor may recommend blood tests/liver function tests, imaging tests (CT scan/MRI) or tissue analysis/sampling (biopsy). Depending on the severity of the damage, liver problems can either be controlled through lifestyle modifications or in extreme cases, transplantation is recommended.

What are the complications of a liver problem?

It is very important to detect, treat, manage and prevent this particular ailment. Treatment for liver diseases that leads to liver failure often has only one option, transplantation. It is a life-threatening condition. Some of the other complications it may cause include:

• Hypertension
• Synthetic dysfunction
• Encephalopathy
• Hepatocellular carcinoma

What is the treatment for liver problem?

Treatment for liver problem depends on the stage it is diagnosed at. Unnecessary stress on the liver is strictly prohibited. In case of Wilson’s disease, the accumulated copper in the liver is removed by a chelating agent. Hepatitis A has no formal treatment so far, though Hepatitis B and C can be treated with anti-viral drugs. In the case of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic conditions are first identified and antioxidants are used to treat the same and prevent cirrhosis. Liver cancer has no particular solution but depending on the stage, surgery provides the best remedy. In case of liver failure, to restore the function of the liver, doctors suggest transplantation as the only and best remedy.