Facts About Chronic Liver Disease

Chronic liver disease is a liver disease of slow process that persists over a long period of time, resulting in progressive destruction of the liver. This can include a number of illnesses, such as alcoholic liver disease, liver fibrosis, hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and sarcoidosis. A liver injury or illness of any type can be very serious. In this article, we'll examine the symptoms of these diseases and how they're treated.

Hepatitis is common chronic liver disease. It is the inflammation of the liver, resulting in liver cell damage and destruction, and can be categorized in two groups; acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis. Some people do not recover fully from acute hepatitis and develop chronic hepatitis, as the liver continues to sustain more damage and inflammation. Hepatitis is considered chronic if symptoms persist longer than six months. Symptoms for chronic hepatitis are usually mild. Although the liver damage continues, its progression is usually slow. Some individuals may experience no symptoms, while others may experience poor appetite, fatigue, low fever, upper abdominal pain and jaundice.

Many people associate alcohol abuse with liver disease, since the liver processes alcohol so it can be eliminated from your body. If you consume more alcohol than the liver can process, then the resulting imbalance can injure the liver by interfering with its normal breakdown of protein, fats and carbohydrates. There are three kinds of liver diseases related to alcohol consumption: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis, which is the most serious type of alcohol-induced liver disease. Cirrhosis refers to the replacement of normal liver tissue with scar tissue. Between 10 and 20 percent of heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis, usually after 10 or more years of drinking.

The symptoms of alcohol related liver disease are serious and include fluid in the abdomen, bleeding from veins in the esophagus, an enlarged spleen, high blood pressure in the liver, changes in mental function, coma, kidney failure and liver cancer. The first step in treatment is to stop drinking. A doctor may suggest changes in diet and certain vitamin supplements to help the liver recover from the alcohol-related damage. Medications may be needed to manage the complications caused by the liver damage. In advanced cases of cirrhosis, the only treatment option may be a liver transplant. However, active alcoholics usually do not qualify as organ recipients.

Treating chronic liver disease can be tricky because there are so many causes and symptoms. It also depends the stage the disease is in. Liver damage cannot be reversed, so it's important to make a diagnosis as soon as possible. Specific treatment for cirrhosis will be determined by your overall health and medical history, your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies and your opinions or preferences. However, with proper nutrition, avoidance of certain toxins like alcohol, vitamin supplementation and management of cirrhosis complications, further liver damage can often be delayed or stopped. In severe cases of cirrhosis, liver transplantation may be considered. Most importantly, you have to take an active role in your treatment so that you have the best possible chance of living a full and healthy life.

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Autoimmune Hepatitis

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