Liver Infection Treatment
The liver does many good functions. It converts foods into body-needed molecules. Poisons are filtered. It makes food energy. When your liver doesn’t perform well, your body suffers. Different things cause liver problems. Know the basic factors.
Infections:
The liver may become inflamed due to an infection at times. The most frequent cause is viral hepatitis, which includes:
Hepatitis A: People catch it through eating or drinking feces-tainted food or water. Possible symptom-free. It normally goes away in 6 months without lasting damage.
Hepatitis B: It’s spread by unprotected intercourse or shared needles. Long-term use increases the risk of liver cancer and other illnesses.
Hepatitis C comes from infected blood. It’s spread by needle sharing and HIV. As a healthcare worker, one could get it from an infected needle. Symptoms may appear years later. Baby boomers should be tested for hepatitis C for unexplained reasons.
Symptoms:
Early symptoms of liver failure are frequently confused with those of liver diseases and other conditions. As a result, liver failure may be difficult to detect at first. Early signs and symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Appetite loss
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
However, as liver failure progresses, the symptoms become more severe, necessitating immediate medical attention. Among these symptoms are:
- Jaundice
- Bleeding easily
- Swollen belly
- Mental confusion (known as hepatic encephalopathy)
- Sleepiness
Diagnosis:
For diagnosing liver failure and liver disease, the following tests and procedures are used:
Blood test. These let the doctor assess the health of the liver. The prothrombin time test determines how long it takes for your blood to clot. Blood does not clot as rapidly as it should in acute liver failure.
Imaging tests. These let the doctor view what is happening in your liver and determine what is causing the problem. Doctors could advise:
- Ultrasound
- Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Biopsy. The doctor will take a tiny piece of liver tissue with a needle and examine it in the lab. The trans jugular liver biopsy enables the doctor to insert the needle into a vein in the neck, rather than in the arm.
Treatment:
Many liver diseases are chronic, which means they last for years and may never go away completely. However, even chronic liver diseases are usually manageable. Some people find that changing their lifestyle is enough to control their symptoms. These could include:
- limiting alcohol consumption
- maintaining a healthy weight
- consuming more water
- consuming a liver-friendly diet high in fiber while avoiding unhealthy fats, refined sugar, and salt
- Other dietary changes may be recommended by the doctor depending on the specific liver condition individuals have. People with Wilson’s disease, for example, should limit copper-containing foods such as shellfish, mushrooms, and nuts.
One may also require medical treatment, depending on the condition affecting the liver, such as:
- Hepatitis antiviral medications
- Blood pressure medication with steroids to reduce liver inflammation
- antibiotics to treat specific symptoms such as itchy skin vitamins and supplements to improve liver health
- In some cases, surgery to remove all or part of your liver may be required. A liver transplant is usually performed only when all other options have been exhausted.
Contact us if you need help with liver infection treatment. Dr. Faisal Dar is Pakistan’s liver transplant pioneer. He’s Pakistan’s top liver transplant surgeon, having performed 1000+ living donor transplants. We do our utmost to satisfy patients.