Introduction to Liver
The liver is the largest organ in your body, located on the upper right-hand side of your abdomen. It is about as large as a football, reddish-brown in colour, and rubbery in feel. Your liver is a vital organ that performs several important functions. It helps in digesting your food and throwing out toxic substances from your body.
In digestion, the primary role of your liver is to process all the nutrients that are absorbed by the small intestine (an organ in your digestive system where most of the end absorption of nutrients and minerals from food takes place).
Liver is also responsible for the creation of bile, a chemical that breaks down fats from fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K and fatty acids, to be used by your body.
Your liver is also an important part of the excretory system (functions responsible for the elimination of wastes from your body). The bile juice produced by the liver helps carry away wastes from your body.
Your liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. It makes proteins important for blood clotting (a process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured) and performs many other functions.
Liver Diseases: Types, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
Diseases that cause damage to your liver and hamper its normal functioning, resulting in illnesses are known as liver diseases. Most often, they are called “silent” conditions, as they do not produce severe symptoms. They are generally caused by:
Viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
Drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol. Examples include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
Cancerous cell growth in your liver
Family history of liver diseases
The various types of liver diseases include:
Fatty liver disease is a condition in which there is an excessive build-up of fat in your liver.
Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by particular viruses.
Cirrhosis is chronic liver damage that leads to scarring and liver failure.
Liver cancer is cancer that begins to grow on the cells of your liver.
Liver failure is the sudden or gradual loss of liver function.
Ascites are the abnormal build-up of fluids in your abdomen; most often related to liver diseases.
Gallstones are solid deposits within the fluid in the gallbladder, a small organ under the liver.
Hemochromatosis is the excessive build-up of iron in your body. The liver is largely affected by this condition due to relatively large amounts of blood flow.
Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease of the liver.
The most common symptoms of liver disease can include swelling of your abdomen and legs, changes in the color of your stool and urine, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. As mentioned earlier, most times there are no symptoms. Tests such as imaging tests and liver function tests can check for liver damage and help to diagnose liver diseases.
Talking about liver diseases, there are a lot of myths that generally float around and tend to create misconceptions or doubts. Read on to understand the myths and the actual facts about liver diseases.
10 Most Common Myths & Facts About Liver Diseases
Myth 1: Liver conditions are often detected with a regular blood test.
Fact: This is not true. Doctors rarely prescribe the specific blood tests required to evaluate liver function, which could partly explain the usually very late diagnosis of the disease. An underlying problem can’t be detected through transaminase levels (a test used to detect severe liver damage) alone. AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), and alkaline phosphatase levels are done in patients suspected of liver damage.
AST, also known as SGOT (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase) is an enzyme that is made by your liver mainly but also made by the heart, kidneys, brain, and muscles. In normal conditions, AST levels in your blood are low. In liver damage, AST levels rise as the liver puts more AST into the blood. High AST levels are indicative of liver damage, but can also indicate damage to the other organs where it is produced, so to diagnose liver damage, doctors also advise other liver function tests along with AST.
An alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test measures the level of ALT in your blood. ALT is an enzyme made by cells in your liver that plays a crucial role in metabolism, the process that turns food into energy. ALT is normally found inside liver cells. However, when your liver is damaged or inflamed, ALT can be released into your bloodstream. This causes serum ALT levels to rise. Measuring the level of ALT in a person’s blood can help doctors evaluate liver function or determine the underlying cause of a liver problem.
Myth 2: Liver problems cause yellow skin and pains.
Fact: Most types of liver diseases usually do not exhibit any symptoms. Hepatitis A, B, and C, also as cirrhosis, are sometimes diagnosed 20 to 30 years later because the liver is known to be “silent.” What may sometimes feel like aches and pains within the liver are usually digestive symptoms caused by oily foods or a high-fat diet.
Myth 3: Alcohol is a major reason for liver disease.
Fact: This is partially true and partially false. Eighty percent of liver conditions are linked to excessive alcohol consumption. When you drink alcohol heavily over the course of decades, your body starts to replace the liver's healthy tissue with scar tissue. This condition is known as alcoholic liver cirrhosis, which is one of the most common alcohol-related liver diseases (ARLD).
While most heavy drinkers are at risk of ARLD, occasional drinking does not pose much of a threat. You might also experience liver inflammation (swelling) due to alcohol consumption, but it gets better in a week or two.
Myth 4: Cirrhosis could be a risk factor for liver cancer.
Fact: People affected by cirrhosis are in danger of developing cancer of the liver. The five-year survival rate (percentage of people in a study or treatment group who are alive five years after they were diagnosed with or started treatment for a disease) is about 15 percent.
Myth 5: Hepatitis and cirrhosis are often cured.
Fact: Cirrhosis is not curable but treatable. The goal of treatment is dual- stop the damage to your liver and prevent complications. Alcohol abuse, hepatitis, and fatty liver are the main causes of cirrhosis and your treatment will be based on the disease, symptoms, and the amount of your liver damage.
Mild cases of hepatitis A don't require treatment. Most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage. Acute hepatitis B is short-lived and you can recover with bed rest, fluid treatment, and antiviral drugs if required. The treatment of chronic hepatitis B is by antiviral medications, interferon injections, and liver transplant if required.
In 95 percent of the cases, hepatitis C can now be cured by antiviral agents and liver transplantation, if required. Your doctor would advise you to get vaccinated against hepatitis B and hepatitis A as both vaccines will also complicate the course of hepatitis C and reduce the infection if present.
Myth 6: Medication is bad for your liver.
Fact: All kinds of medications can potentially be toxic for your liver. Elderly individuals following numerous treatments are particularly in danger of drug-induced hepatitis (redness and swelling of the liver that is caused by a harmful amount of certain medicines).
Health supplements aren’t without risk either. These can also poison your liver when consumed in excessive quantities or if not used correctly.
Myth 7: Spirits are worse for the liver than wine or beer.
Fact: Liver specialists stress that it is the quantity of alcohol that matters, not the kind of drink. Plus, drinking a glass of water to “compensate” for an alcoholic drink and avoid hangovers isn’t any better for the liver. Similarly, only drinking “good quality” alcoholic drinks may make you feel better, but it doesn’t make the alcohol they contain any less damaging.
Myth 8: Alcohol-free weekdays form up for weekend excess.
Fact: General recommendations suggest no more than about 21 standard glasses or units of alcohol per week for men or around 14 glasses per week for ladies, regardless of when it’s consumed. Doctors are concerned about levels of binge drinking, particularly among youngsters, who consume large quantities of alcohol in a very short space of time. Thus, the mantra of alcohol-free weekdays, being compensated with excess alcohol on weekends does not really work well for your liver.
Myth 9: Coffee is good for your liver.
Fact: This is true! Studies suggest that drinking coffee can slow the progression of liver disease and reduce your risk of cirrhosis by nearly 80%. Regular coffee without any additives appears to have the best benefits for your liver health.
When your body digests caffeine (contained in coffee), it makes a chemical called paraxanthine that slows the growth of the scar tissue in your liver. Paraxanthine may also help fight liver cancer, alcohol-related cirrhosis, non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease, and hepatitis C.
Myth 10: Cut out fatty meats, pastries, and alcohol to preserve liver function.
Fact: Nutrition guidelines for liver health are similar to limiting risk factors related to heart diseases. In other words, foods like daily meats, fatty meats like pork and beef, full-fat dairy products, cakes and pastries, chocolate, sweets, and sodas should be kept to a minimum. To help preserve liver function, prefer a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fruit, vegetables, and protein (white meat, fish, eggs). Other foods good for your liver health are tofu, walnuts, avocados, oatmeal, green peas, bananas, and sweet potatoes.
Now that you have understood various myths and facts about liver diseases, be more aware and lead a healthy lifestyle to prevent liver disorders and conditions. Consult your physician/ gastroenterologist to know more.
Disclaimer: This article is written by the Practitioner for informational and educational purposes only. The content presented on this page should not be considered as a substitute for medical expertise. Please "DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE" and seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. Practo will not be responsible for any act or omission arising from the interpretation of the content present on this page.