- Liver disease. Does the liver hurt?
- Liver diseases: types
- Liver disease - cirrhosis
- Liver disease - viral hepatitis
- Liver Disease - Alcoholic Liver Injury
- Liver disease - drug-induced liver damage
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Liver disease - liver cancer
- Liver disease - autoimmune hepatitis (AZW)
- Liver disease - Wilson's disease
- Liver disease - hemochromatosis
- Liver disease - hepatic vein thrombosis (Budd-Chiari syndrome)
- Liver disease - portal vein thrombosis
- Liver disease - primary sclerosing cholangitis
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Sick liver - symptoms can be very different. This includes skin symptoms, but also are visible on the face. However, the most common symptom of liver disease - whatever the cause - is pain in the abdomen on the right, under the ribs. What are liver diseases? What are the symptoms of different liver diseases? What is their treatment? What is a liver diet?
Liver disease. Does the liver hurt?
Where's the liver? The simplest answer to this question is: the liver is located on the right side of the abdomen, under the ribs.
Liver diseaseteases many people. We associate them primarily with their most common symptom, which is simply what we refer to asliver pain . Liver pain in the abdomen is quite characteristic - it's a pain in the abdomen on the right under the ribs. However, the term "liver pain" is imprecise. It should be noted that the liver itself does not cause pain (it has no sensory innervation).
Pain on the right side under the ribs may come from the stretched and irritated serosa by the liver or from the pressure of the enlarged liver on the surrounding organs.
It should also be remembered that liver pain is not the only symptom of liver disease. Often, before the liver starts to hurt, there are skin symptoms - itching or yellowing of the skin, for example. A skilled doctor will also notice the symptoms of a sick liver on the patient's face.
Liver diseases: types
| Diseases of the liver parenchyma | Diseases of the liver vessels |
Diseases of the intrahepatic bile ducts |
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Liver disease - cirrhosis
The most common chronic liver disease iscirrhosis . It is characterized, among others, by tissue growth in places of damaged parenchymal elements, leading to liver failure. It generally develops slowly. The development of the disease is favored, among others, by excessive alcohol consumption (about 50% of cases).
Symptoms such as
initially appear- loss of appetite
- nausea
- weight loss
- stomach pains
- gynecomastia
- hypogonadism
- ascites
- spleen enlargement
Then symptoms of advanced disease appear, such as:
- petechiae and bleeding
- jaundice
- itchy skin
- hepatic encephalopathy
Treating cirrhosis depends on its cause.
Liver disease - viral hepatitis
Viral hepatitisis an acute infectious disease characterized by primary damage to this organ. They are caused by hepatitis viruses, which include:
- hepatitis A virus
- hepatitis B virus
- hepatitis C virus
- as well as D and E viruses
Typicalsymptoms of hepatitis Ainclude:
- fatigue
- stomach pains
- nausea
- vomiting
- muscle and joint pain
- flu-like symptoms
Additionally, there may be jaundice or itching of the skin (in cholestatic form)
The most commonsymptom of B virus infectionis jaundice, which, however, does not occur in all patients. Many of them may develop flu-like symptoms or mild food poisoning.
The most insidious, because in most casesasymptomatic , it ishepatitis C . Often the only symptom is a slight enlargement of the liver.
Liver Disease - Alcoholic Liver Injury
The liver metabolizes alcohol. During this process, compounds are formed that are toxic to the liver. The threshold at which it exhibits hepatotoxicity depends on many factors, such as medical history, gender and nutritional status. Chronic, excessive alcohol consumption is one of the causes of fatty liver disease. It occurs with the daily consumption of alcohol in the amount of about:
- for men - 60 grams of alcoholethyl alcohol (200 ml of vodka, 1 l of wine, 2.5 l of beer)
- for women - 20 grams of ethyl alcohol
Alcoholic fatty liver diseasemay be reversible, but it is important to stop drinking alcohol altogether and to conserve your liver. Failure to do so can lead to more stages of liver damage, such as alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Liver disease - drug-induced liver damage
The liver is responsible for the metabolism of most drugs. Drug poisoning can lead to acute liver failure, as well as chronic toxic hepatitis. Toxic effects may occur after consuming too much of the drug (e.g. paracetamol poisoning), as an adverse reaction or as an allergic reaction (then even a very low dose can cause severe symptoms).
Treatment of drug-induced liver injury begins with the immediate termination of therapy with drugs responsible for the onset of symptoms.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
The occurrence of NAFLD is largely related to, inter alia, with:
- obesity
- hypertension
- with type 2 diabetes
- metabolic syndrome
Hyperlipidemia is also common among people with NAFLD. The risk factors for NAFLD also include male gender, old age and rapid weight loss in obese people.
Liver disease - liver cancer
Disturbing symptoms of liver cancer appear very late, usually with much advanced stages of hepatocellular carcinoma. Then the sick person feels:
- pain on the right side under the ribs
- may have a fever
- lack of appetite
- lose weight
Usuallythe circumference of the abdomen also increases , which is evidence of developing ascites. Leg swelling, yellowing of the skin, or gastrointestinal bleeding may occur.
Liver disease - autoimmune hepatitis (AZW)
Autoimmune hepatitis (AZW) - is caused by the attack of cells of the immune system on the liver cells. The symptoms of the disease include :
- aches and pains in the right hypochondrium
- flatulence
- eating disorders
- itchy skin
In the case of AZW, immunosuppressive treatment is used.
Liver disease - Wilson's disease
Wilson's diseaseis a genetically determinedmetabolic disease , the essence of which is the deposition of excess copper in organs, mainly in the liver. Hersigns are, among others :
- liver enlargement
- stomach pains
- yellowish discoloration of the skin
- bruises on the skin
- leg swelling
The goal of the therapy is to remove excess copper from the body and prevent it from accumulating again.
Liver disease - hemochromatosis
Hemochromatosisis a metabolic disease, the essence of which is the excessive accumulation of iron in the body, incl. in the liver. Hemochromatosis is an incurable disease, and the therapy is aimed at alleviating its symptoms by emptying iron stores and maintaining the concentration of this element within the normal range.
Liver disease - hepatic vein thrombosis (Budd-Chiari syndrome)
Hepatic vein thrombosis , otherwiseBudd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) , is a disease whose essence is the blockage of blood outflow from the hepatic veins until the inferior vena cava joins the right atrium.
The first symptoms of hepatic vein thrombosis are abdominal pain and fever (if an infection has developed at the same time).
In the advanced stage of the disease, symptoms appear as a consequence of liver failure and portal hypertension:
- ascites
- liver enlargement (hepatomegaly)
- enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly)
- peripheral edema
- bleeding from the esophagus or stomach
Therapy usually begins with the administration of anticoagulants. Only when this method turns out to be ineffective, another one is used until the patient is healed.
Liver disease - portal vein thrombosis
Portal vein thrombosisis a disease in which the portal vein is narrowed by a blood clot. The spectrum of symptoms varies greatly:from no symptomswhen changes are observed in imaging tests performed for other reasons,to turbulent symptomssuch as:
- severe abdominal pain with bloody diarrhea
- Increasing and refractory ascites
Liver disease - primary sclerosing cholangitis
Primary sclerosing cholangitisis initially asymptomatic and its diagnosis is random, based on laboratory tests. Later in the disease, there is:
- feeling of progressive fatigue
- itchy skin
- chronic jaundice
- low-specific epigastric pain
- weight loss
Monika Majewska Journalist specializing in the subjecthe alth, in particular in the areas of medicine, he alth and he althy eating. Author of news, guides, interviews with experts and reports. Participant of the largest Polish National Medical Conference "Polish woman in Europe", organized by the "Journalists for He alth" Association, as well as specialist workshops and seminars for journalists organized by the Association.
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