The liver has an important function in the body. This body simultaneously takes part in the work of several systems at once: digestive, hematopoietic, metabolic processes and hormonal balance. That is why, if the liver fails, then the whole body suffers from this. There are a lot of information about liver diseases, methods of treating and cleansing the liver, symptoms of diseases and the causes of their occurrence, but it is important to understand what types of ailments exist and how to distinguish them.
Liver function
As one of the important organs in the human body, the liver performs many different functions. She is responsible for the digestive system, is a pantry for vitamins and minerals, is actively involved in blood formation and performs a barrier function. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins that enter the body with food are digested and digested in the digestive tract and enter the liver in the bloodstream, where they again undergo decomposition, but through biochemical reactions. The role of the liver is the formation of albumin, prothrombin and fibrinogen from protein, the conversion of carbohydrates to glycogen and fats to cholesterol. For the rational functioning of the body, vitamins and minerals are needed, which are accumulated in the cells of this important organ and are released at the right time to maintain the body. In addition, the liver itself is capable of synthesizing vitamins such as A and B12.
In the liver tissue, erythrocytes and other blood cells are broken down and utilized, resulting in bilirubin. It is excreted in the urine. It also synthesizes hemoglobin, special substances involved in blood coagulation, fibrinogen and others. With various poisoning by the liver, neutralization of toxic substances is performed.
Common symptoms of liver disease
All liver diseases are accompanied by pain that occurs in the right side under the ribs. As a rule, pains are prolonged aching in nature. During physical exertion or shaking while riding, they are amplified, and at rest they are weakened. The pain on the liver also contributes to the pain by eating fatty, spicy or fried foods. Common signs of all possible diseases of the body include:
- loss of appetite;
- nausea, vomiting;
- belching, heartburn;
- weakness, lethargy;
- decreased performance.
Almost all types of liver diseases are characterized by a change in skin color. First, the patient has a yellowing of the sclera of the eyes, and then the skin becomes yellowish. In addition, there is a discoloration of feces and a significant darkening of urine to dark brown hues. Against the backdrop of the above symptoms, itching may occur due to an increase in the level of bile components in the blood. Menstrual irregularities occur in women, impotence develops in men.
Symptoms and manifestations of liver diseases, diagnosis and treatment directly depend on the causes of damage to this organ. To determine the problem at the initial stage, a whole complex of laboratory blood tests is carried out.
Types of liver disease
Depending on the degree of damage and the localization of the inflammatory process in the liver, all possible diseases of this organ are divided into two large groups:
- diffuse;
- focal.
By diffuse, we understand those inflammatory phenomena in the liver that affect its entire area (for example, viral and acute hepatitis, steatosis, sclerosing cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis, and others). Focal ailments include tumors and cysts. It is important to recognize in time what type of liver disease belongs to. Symptoms and treatment for each group have their own characteristics.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is divided into two forms: acute and chronic. The acute form develops suddenly and is accompanied by diffuse damage to the entire surface of the liver. The cause of the development of the disease is viruses that penetrate the body in various ways. From how the virus enters the body, hepatitis is divided into types A, B, C, D, E and F. For example, virus A is transmitted through contaminated water, products, virus B through the blood, hepatitis C also spreads through the hematogenous route. sexually transmitted.
The causes of liver damage can be prolonged medication, alcohol abuse, malnutrition. Acute forms of liver disease (symptoms, signs and treatment of liver diseases for each type of virus have their own characteristics) are due to the manifestation of some common signs. These include:
- icteric period;
- weakness and increased fatigue;
- a constant feeling of nausea;
- periodic vomiting;
- complete loss of appetite.
In some cases, the disease is accompanied by pain in the joints, muscles, fever and other flu-like manifestations. When the patient has the above symptoms, decolorized bowel movements, darkened urine join them. An anicteric form of acute hepatitis is characterized by symptoms such as general weakness, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite and an enlarged liver. Symptoms, treatment and diet for this form of the disease can be prescribed in two ways: radical and conservative. According to the first, the patient does not need any special treatment or diet. Symptoms of hepatitis are gradually reduced, and recovery comes. In this case, the patient is recommended bed rest, plenty of warm drink (herbal decoctions) and rest. If these requirements and recommendations are not observed, various complications of the disease and the risk of its transition to a chronic form are possible. Conservative treatment of acute hepatitis is carried out in a hospital with a mandatory diet and other appointments of the attending physician.
Chronic hepatitis is a relapsing or untreated inflammatory liver disease. Symptoms and treatment depend on the form of the disease: chronic active and chronic persistent. The causes that affect the development of the disease include the following:
- viruses (B, C, D);
- alcoholism;
- chemical poisons affecting the destruction of the liver;
- some drugs.
In some cases, the cause of hepatitis remains undetected, and the disease is called idiopathic. Active hepatitis is most often viral. The disease is severe, can turn into cirrhosis. Persistent hepatitis has more beneficial effects. Its main feature is weakness and a moderately enlarged liver in the absence of other symptoms. Active hepatitis is characterized by signs such as skin itching, yellowness of the skin and sclera of the eyes, pain in the right hypochondrium, sometimes hemorrhages occur on the skin.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis is the most complex diffuse liver disease. Symptoms and treatment depend on the degree of damage to the liver tissue. The most common cause of the disease is viruses and alcoholism. Inflammation causes a large diffuse proliferation of hyperplastic tissues, which quickly replace normal healthy liver cells, disrupting blood circulation in the tissues.
The most common signs of cirrhosis include weakness, malaise, insomnia, and reduced ability to work. There is also jaundice, skin hemorrhage, itching, a sharp weight loss caused by a violation of the absorption of the stomach. A complication of the disease is the expansion of the veins of the esophagus followed by bleeding.
Liver steatosis
Steatosis is a disease characterized by obesity of the liver. Symptoms of the disease, especially the course, are due to the degree of accumulation of body fat in the body.
The causes of the disease are diabetes mellitus, protein deficiency associated with poor nutrition, obesity, alcoholism, endocrine disorders, as well as chronic diseases of the digestive system. To diagnose steatosis, an ultrasound examination is necessary. An inexperienced doctor may confuse it with persistent hepatitis of a persistent form or Gilbert's disease.
Biliary cirrhosis
Particular forms of liver disease include primary biliary cirrhosis. This form is characterized by an inflammatory process that affects the smallest intrahepatic bile ducts. After this, the inflammation spreads to the liver cells, as a result of which they are replaced by a hyperplastic or connective tissue. Unfortunately, the causes that affect the liver in this way are not known. The symptoms of her diseases and treatment will be closely interconnected. It is known that women from 35 to 60 years old are more often ill. It is in middle age that they have exacerbated various liver diseases. Signs and symptoms of biliary cirrhosis are caused by the appearance of skin itching on the palms and soles, which intensifies and spreads throughout the body, depending on the severity of the disease. Over time, yellowness of the skin also occurs, cholesterol levels increase in the blood, the liver and spleen increase significantly in size, and the absorption of vitamins deteriorates.
It is very difficult to treat the disease, in most cases liver transplantation is required. Conservative medicine is aimed at replenishing the missing vitamins in the body, reducing itching of the skin. In addition, the patient is forced to follow a strict diet and take vitamins.
Liver tumors
Two groups of tumors are distinguished:
- benign (hemangiomas);
- malignant (liver cancer).
A tumor is a liver disease, the symptoms and treatment of which cannot be determined without a thorough diagnostic examination. The fact is that the tumor is rarely accompanied by pain at the initial stage. This creates certain difficulties in identifying it, and the patient does not receive the necessary treatment on time.
Hemangiomas are a tumor of blood vessels that pierce the liver. You can detect them either with an ultrasound scan or with a CT scan. Large size tumors are surgically treated. Small hemangiomas should be observed, passing a routine diagnostic examination 2-3 times a year.
Malignant tumors are divided into:
- primary cancer;
- cancer against cirrhosis;
- liver metastases.
To detect the disease, a blood test is important, which shows how much alpha-fetoprotein protein is released into the blood by the liver. Symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the tumor.
Liver cysts
Any cyst is a cavity located inside an organ and filled with fluid. It usually has an oval or rounded shape. Cysts are multiple and single. You can identify the disease during ultrasound diagnostics, after which the doctor will determine the type of cyst (parasitic or non-parasitic), find out whether it is a harbinger of the initial stage of cancer and whether there are any complications of liver disease. Symptoms and signs, diet and treatment of liver cysts depends on its type.
A parasitic cyst occurs as a result of exposure to the body of parasitic flatworms - echinococcus or alveococcus. For this type of cysts, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- pain in the right side under the lower ribs;
- a significant increase in the liver;
- yellowness of the skin;
- itching of the skin.
Possible complications of a parasitic cyst are its rupture or suppuration. Suppuration of cysts is called "abscess". The reason is bacteria or protozoa (for example, amoeba). Symptoms of a liver abscess include fever, enlarged liver, pain on palpation, and a high white blood cell count. The treatment of complicated forms of the disease is carried out surgically.
A nonparasitic cyst is observed by the doctor every 4-6 months using ultrasound. Based on the results of ultrasound, the doctor monitors the dynamics of the disease and makes decisions about its treatment.
Features of the treatment of liver diseases folk remedies
Before you seek help from healers and healers, you should undergo a qualitative examination, identify the causes of the disease and determine its name and form. Otherwise, alternative therapy, chosen by eye, can not only aggravate the condition of the patient, but also lead him to a premature death. It should also be remembered that many medicinal plants are toxic, and treatment with them is unsafe. In addition, the excretory system and liver are responsible for the removal of any substances from the body (including medicinal decoctions). That is why you should very carefully choose folk remedies, alternative treatment. Symptoms of liver disease for non-professionals seem monotonous and have only some distinctive features. Therefore, the consultation of the attending physician is extremely important for the patient who decided to use alternative therapy. The doctor will compare the information about the disease and give useful recommendations based on where and how the liver hurts and how to treat it most effectively.
Alternative therapy is aimed at restoring the functionality of the liver, reducing pain, reducing the inflammatory process in the liver tissues, and improving the general condition of the body. Prepared medicines according to healers' prescriptions have a protective, antitumor and regenerative effect on the liver.
Folk treatment of the liver with decoctions of milk thistle, immortelle, and corn stigmas is widespread. Honey in honeycombs helps with the first pains, it is mixed with cinnamon and taken on an empty stomach half an hour before meals. Such a tool gently and carefully cleans tissues and relieves inflammation. An effective treatment for inflammatory liver diseases is prepared on the basis of cold-pressed olive oil, honey and lemon juice. These components are mixed and taken 3 times a day for 30 grams. It is useful to include zucchini and pumpkin, which are steamed or stewed, in the diet. Beets, carrots and other root vegetables, which can be eaten both raw and stewed, are also useful.
To cleanse the liver, a recipe based on oats grains is suitable. 3 tablespoons of raw materials are mixed with dry lingonberry leaves and birch buds (10-15 grams of each ingredient). Everything is poured with 4 liters of pure water and infused for 24 hours in a cool place. Separately, 200 grams of rosehip and 2 tablespoons of dried knotweed grass are brewed in 200 grams of water. The broth is mixed with strained oats infusion and taken 100 grams before meals for 10 days. The remainder of the medicine should be stored in the refrigerator. Such treatment is suitable for absolutely everyone.
Prevention
Prevention of any disease is always more rational than spending energy and money on its treatment later. In order to prevent alarming calls about the state of the liver, you should lead a healthy lifestyle, abandon bad habits (alcohol, smoking, gluttony), eat varied, take vitamins. It is not too late to take up health even when some symptoms of the disease appear and the liver hurts a little . Symptoms, causes and treatment will be determined by the doctor during the examination and during diagnosis, and the patient will be required to strictly comply with all the recommendations. In this case, there is a high chance that the disease will not become chronic, will not have serious complications, and recovery will occur in a short time.