EARLY SIGNS OF LIVER DISEASES

 Liver disease encompasses a variety of conditions, with many of the most common types being manageable through dietary and lifestyle adjustments. However, if these conditions progress, some liver diseases may necessitate lifelong medication. Early detection and treatment are crucial in preventing significant liver damage. Unfortunately, it’s possible to have liver disease without exhibiting any symptoms in its initial stages, making early detection challenging. Conversely, late-stage liver disease is often difficult to treat.

Early Signs Symptoms of Liver Disease

Chronic liver diseases typically don’t present symptoms early on. Frequently, they begin with an acute hepatitis episode. For instance, a viral hepatitis infection will first go through an acute phase, where you might experience a fever, stomachache, or nausea. During this period, your immune system attempts to combat the infection. If it fails, the condition can become chronic.

Other causes of liver disease may also start with acute symptoms or sporadic acute episodes. Early symptoms can vary significantly from person to person and might include signs such as:

• Upper Abdominal Pain
• Nausea or Loss of Appetite
• Fatigue

Signs & Symptoms of Late-stage Liver Disease

When your liver’s function begins to deteriorate, especially in the advanced stages of liver disease, your body may exhibit several noticeable signs. One of the most significant indicators is the disruption of bile flow within the biliary tract. As a result, your liver fails to produce and deliver sufficient bile to your small intestines. Instead of reaching the small intestine, bile leaks into your bloodstream. This leakage can lead to common signs and symptoms such as:

• Jaundice (Yellowing of Skin & Eyes)
• Dark-colored Urine
• Light-colored Stool
• Digestive Problems
• Weight & Muscle Loss
• Bad Breath
• Itchy Skin

What are the stages of chronic liver disease?

Chronic liver disease usually progresses in roughly 4 Stages;

• Hepatitis
• Liver Fibrosis
• Liver Cirrhosis
• Liver Failure Hepatitis

Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver tissues. This inflammation occurs when the liver responds to injury in an effort to eliminate infections and initiate healing. Acute hepatitis, which is an immediate and temporary response, often manages this effectively. However, if the injury or toxicity persists, so does the inflammation. Chronic hepatitis leads to prolonged healing activity, resulting in the scarring of liver tissues, known as liver fibrosis.

Fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is characterized by the gradual stiffening of the liver as thin bands of scar tissue accumulate. This scar tissue impedes blood flow through the liver, limiting its access to oxygen and nutrients, which in turn reduces the liver’s vitality. Interestingly, some degree of fibrosis is reversible. Liver cells can regenerate, and the scarring can diminish if the damage slows enough to allow recovery.

Liver Cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis represents severe and permanent scarring of the liver. At this stage, fibrosis is no longer reversible. The liver loses its capacity to regenerate due to a shortage of healthy cells. Despite this, further damage can still be slowed or managed. Although cirrhosis significantly impairs liver function, the body often compensates for the loss, which may delay noticeable symptoms. If not treated promptly, cirrhosis can progress to liver failure or liver cancer.

Liver Failure

Liver failure occurs when the liver can no longer meet the body’s needs. This situation arises when the body can no longer compensate for the liver’s declining function. As liver function deteriorates, the effects are felt throughout the body. Chronic liver failure is a gradual process but is ultimately fatal without a liver transplant. In essence, a functioning liver is essential for life.

Causes of Liver Disease?

You can get liver disease, due to multiple reasons. The most common causes of liver diseases are mentioned below;

Viral infections

Viral hepatitis infections that become chronic can cause chronic hepatitis, including Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C.

Alcohol-induced Hepatitis

Heavy alcohol addiction is also one of the major reasons for chronic hepatitis. If it goes on long enough, it can cause cirrhosis and even liver failure.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Metabolic conditions such as obesity, elevated blood sugar levels, and disturbed lipid profiles can cause excess fat storage in your liver. This fat eventually becomes the cause of liver inflammation.

Biliary Stasis

Congenital (present at birth) conditions that obstruct or stall the flow of bile through your bile ducts can cause bile to build up and injure your liver, including biliary atresia and cystic fibrosis. Non-congenital causes include biliary stricture and gallstones.

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune conditions can cause chronic inflammation and scarring in your liver or your Bile Ducts, including Autoimmune Hepatitis, Primary Biliary Cholangitis, and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Inherited Metabolic Disorders

Disorders that cause toxic products to build up in your blood, such as glycogen storage disease (GSD), Wilson disease, hemochromatosis, and Gaucher disease. These diseases can cause chronic liver damage.

Cardiovascular Diseases

These are those diseases that affect blood flow to and from your liver, including Budd-Chiari Syndrome, Ischemia, Arterial Diseases, and Right-Sided Heart Failure. These Cardiovascular Diseases can cause chronic liver damage.

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Hepatitis B Virus & its Treatment

Understanding Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus and it occurs when the liver gets inflamed. It can be an acute infection when a patient remains sick for a few weeks only. On the other end, hepatitis B infection can also progress into chronic liver disease, leading to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure.

Liver failure is considered one of the leading causes of death all over the world. Such a chronic infection is the most common cause of primary liver carcinoma. It is a potentially life-threatening infection and needs immediate medical intervention.

Acute Hepatitis B

Acute hepatitis B is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to HBV. Some people with acute hepatitis B show no symptoms at all or mild illness only. Some people suffering from hepatitis B virus can suffer from severe illness that requires immediate medical assistance and, in most cases, hospitalization as well.

Chronic Hepatitis B

Some people, especially those who get infected in adulthood, can often fight the hepatitis B infection on their own, without being medically treated. Whereas in some other cases, an acute hepatitis B infection often leads to a life-long infection known as chronic hepatitis B infection. As time passes, such kind of chronic infections can cause serious health problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.

Who is most likely to get Chronic Hepatitis B?

Whether hepatitis B infection becomes chronic or not, largely relies on age. The younger a person is when infected with the hepatitis B virus, the greater the chance of developing chronic infection will be. About 9 in 10 infants who get infected with hepatitis B virus go on to develop life-long and chronic liver infections later in life.

As the child ages, the risk of hepatitis B virus converting into chronic infection lessens. According to research studies, about 1 in 3 children, who get infected before age 6 will develop chronic hepatitis B at some point later in their lives. On the other end, almost all children 6 years old or older, and adults who get infected with the hepatitis B virus are likely to recover completely and not develop chronic hepatitis infection.

Hepatitis Transmission

Hepatitis virus spreads from mother to child. The blood of an infected person is also another major source of transmission of this infection. Sharing needles, used syringes, tattooing or piercing, and dental procedures performed with contaminated equipment are high-risk factors for the transmission of hepatitis B virus.

Besides, any medical or surgical equipment contaminated with infected blood can transmit the infection quite easily. Sharing of syringes by drug abusers and using infected blades at barber shops are also high-risk potential sources of HBV infection.

It is pertinent to mention here that the hepatitis B virus can survive outside the human body for at least seven days, but still, it can be a source of infection if it enters the body of an unvaccinated person. The incubation period of the virus is 30 to 180 days.

Symptoms of Hepatitis B virus

Most people, at an early stage of HBV infection, don’t feel any symptoms. But soon after the incubation period, acute hepatitis starts developing and the patient begins to experience extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, jaundice, dark urine, and abdominal pain.

Here point to ponder is that HBV can cause acute liver failure in some people and may progress into chronic hepatitis in others. If left untreated, such conditions gradually progress into liver cirrhosis and liver failure. The encouraging fact is that most of the adults recover from acute hepatitis B and only 5% of infections are likely to progress into chronic hepatitis conditions.

However, that’s not the case with children below 6 years of age. Nearly 50% of them will suffer from chronic hepatitis after acquiring the infection until 6 years of age. Patients infected with HIV are often found to be co-infected with the hepatitis B virus.

Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus

Hepatitis B is diagnosed with blood screening. As of now, there is no specific treatment for hepatitis B virus. The patient’s condition can only be monitored in addition to advising dietary supplements and enough fluid intake. The unnecessary use of medication is also strictly discouraged.

Chronic hepatitis B virus is usually treated with medicine including some antiviral drugs. Only a few patients are required to go through the medication. The timely diagnosis alongside appropriate treatment of the hepatitis B virus helps prevent liver cirrhosis and reduces the chances of liver failure and liver cancer.

It is to be noted here that the treatment of hepatitis B doesn’t eradicate the virus, but it only suppresses it. That’s the reason why hepatitis B patients have to take life-long medications. Getting yourself vaccinated against hepatitis B virus is the best and most appropriate way to prevent the life-threatening virus.

Recovery Plan for Hepatitis B Patients

If a patient is diagnosed with hepatitis B virus, he should continue taking prescribed medication alongside taking necessary precautions, as long as the medication doesn’t show any potential side effects. If all of his screening and diagnostic reports are encouraging and the patient is doing well, he should continue the treatment plan advised by his healthcare practitioner.

Patients often complain about being diabetic. Remember, diabetes has nothing to do with Hepatitis B infection and its medication. The patient should only keep a regular check on his sugar levels after every 6 months. He only needs to consume an appropriate and healthy diet after consulting a diabetologist.