The liver is one of the most important organs. It forms bile and many enzymes. This organ removes all toxins from the body and, of course, the liver prolongs our life.
Violations in her work today are increasingly associated with overeating. In fact, not only alcohol is poison for us, but also fat, and medicines, and pesticides in the environment. How is hepatosis manifested and what to do about it? Everyone needs to know the answers to these questions.
What does diffuse liver change mean?
Doctors know that according to the ICD (international classification of diseases) there is no such disease as diffuse changes. But temporary or already chronic dysfunctions of the liver are a fairly common phenomenon throughout the world, so it must be somehow designated so that patients understand what is happening in their body.
Damage to the liver can be either local, that is, concentrated in one area, or diffuse - spread throughout the organ.
Under the influence of various toxic substances, liver cells slowly die. But due to the lack of pain receptors in the body, it’s impossible to immediately understand that destructive processes are going on. Significant dysfunction of detoxification has a deplorable effect on the entire body. And the liver itself is ultimately destroyed by cirrhosis, which leads to the death of the patient. How to understand in time that this organ is sick?
Alarming factors
In fact, there are no particular signs of diffuse changes in the liver . But if you watch your body, you can feel that the organ begins to increase in size, the tongue in the morning can have a bloom, and in the mouth there is a bitter smack of bile.
Only then, when the membrane of the liver begins to stretch, does pain appear in the right hypochondrium. Perhaps the temperature rises, and jaundice is clearly visible on the sclera of the eyes. In such cases, it is necessary to palpate the hypochondrium independently. And if you feel that the liver is enlarged, it is important to immediately consult a doctor.
Types of pathologies
By the nature of the violation of the liver there are several types of diffuse changes:
- dystrophic;
- organ sclerosis;
- hypertrophy;
- fibrosis;
- fatty liver.
The severity of symptoms distinguish:
- minor changes;
- medium degree of damage;
- degeneration of cells and organ structure - fibrosis.
The easiest way to treat the liver is, of course, at an early stage. Marked diffuse changes are more difficult to treat. If at the easy stage it is enough to change the way of life, completely eliminate alcohol and fast food, then at the 2nd and 3rd stages the treatment is more serious.
Causes of the disease
The main poison for liver cells is, without a doubt, alcohol. It is this substance that destroys hepatocytes most of all. People with diabetes are not allowed to drink at all.
There are other factors that affect organ health:
- benign or malignant tumors at any stage;
- viral hepatitis;
- amyloidosis;
- obesity;
- long-term medication.
In view of all of the above, it will not be superfluous to emphasize again what “diffuse liver changes” means. This is damage to the cells of the body, as a result of which it becomes more difficult for him to perform the main function of cleaning the body. Any toxic substance, including fat, passes from the stomach directly into the liver and is filtered. The liver in its internal structure is very similar to a sponge with small pores. In them, detoxification just happens. Liver cells themselves die from the effects of poisons, and in their place appears connective tissue.
Minor diffuse changes in the liver, say, after a single drug poisoning, pass quickly after treatment. But the prolonged effect of alcohol or amyloidosis provokes more serious consequences.
What is fatty liver?
Not only under the skin, but also in the internal organs, fat is collected. Most of it is deposited in the liver. When the fatty layers increase and replace hepatocyte cells, a disease called "fatty liver" develops.
From alcohol abuse, diffuse liver changes by type of hepatosis will greatly progress, since there is a lot of sucrose in alcohol.
There are 4 stages of a disease such as hepatosis:
- The accumulation of fat cells.
- Steatosis is the replacement of healthy cells with fat.
- Fibrosis is the appearance of connective tissue.
- Cirrhosis is the death of an organ.
With cirrhosis, the signs of the disease are already very noticeable. These are pains, and general fatigue, nosebleeds. With such a serious disease, the abdomen increases and the person's weight drops. Such a patient does not remember information well; during the day he sleeps, and at night it is hard for him to fall asleep.
But more often people do not even live up to cirrhosis, as metabolic disorders seriously worsen overall well-being and health. In patients with this diagnosis, diabetes progresses rapidly. And the cardiovascular system is already damaged, which often leads to strokes.
Hepatoses are common in pregnant women. Mostly susceptible to such liver complications are women who have problems with the digestive tract before pregnancy. In one third of patients suffering from hepatosis, premature contractions occur in the 3rd trimester. But in itself, this ailment is not a direct indication for abortion.
Timely diagnosis
When you go to the therapist for pain in the hypochondrium, know that the doctor will need to get a complete medical history and prescribe a lot of research. Without a comprehensive review of the issue, it is difficult to make a correct diagnosis.
What kind of examination is needed? Most likely, the doctor will prescribe:
- Ultrasound of the liver, which will show whether it is enlarged or not, and if enlarged, how much;
- general and biochemical blood analysis;
- X-ray
- Analysis of urine;
- biopsy
- hepatoscintigraphy is extremely rare (analysis using radioisotopes).
And if the doctor says that this is not enough, then you will need to undergo an MRI to make sure the diagnosis is correct. In a biochemical blood test, the doctor looks for amylase and specific liver enzymes. And in the urine with hepatosis, bilirubin is detected. These are the most accurate signs of diffuse changes in the liver, which can be determined by analysis.
Find out in advance, even before you go to the doctor, which of your relatives had hepatitis, as well as whether your family has a predisposition to diabetes. All these are important hereditary factors.
Moderate diffuse changes in the liver is not a terrible diagnosis, but, most likely, a pathology that is the result of an incorrect lifestyle. If you pay attention to the problem in a timely manner and begin treatment, the body will fully recover.
In the event of the discovery of an ailment such as hepatosis, the right treatment will be a diet that is correctly selected by a nutritionist.
Hepatomegaly
This disease is characterized by a condition when the damaged liver begins to increase in size and take up more space. At this time, pain in the hypochondrium is detected. But it is not the liver itself that hurts, the pain causes its increase. This phenomenon is called hepatomegaly.
The reason for it may be:
- hepatocellular carcinoma;
- one hepatitis virus;
- echinococcosis;
- toxic lesions.
Echinococci are parasites that are sometimes found in the human body. They can cause cholangitis - inflammation of the hepatic bile ducts.
Sometimes organ enlargement is associated with both toxic substances and heart problems. His condition should be assessed in advance by a good specialist cardiologist. If liver problems are associated with impaired heart function, then this disease is called cardiac fibrosis.
Symptoms of pronounced hepatomegaly are as follows:
- smell from the mouth;
- in the morning an unpleasant aftertaste in the oral cavity;
- itching of the skin and its yellow tint;
- nausea sometimes;
- accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity in the extreme stages.
If the liver is enlarged, then the ultrasound doctor will immediately notice it. Normal liver parameters: up to 12.5 cm, the right lobe and the left lobe can be up to 7 cm long.
With diffuse liver changes in fatty type, not only the filtering organ itself is damaged, but also the pancreas and bile ducts. In general, all metabolism is significantly impaired. In addition, immunity is reduced, which also depends largely on the work of the liver. The work of the entire cardiovascular system, stomach and intestines is also deteriorating.
Liver problems in children
In newborn babies, almost always liver function failures occur for 2 reasons. The first is congenital hepatitis, which is transmitted from a sick mother. And the second - the child is very sensitive to medications. When a doctor prescribes a medicine, it is imperative to watch the dosage for young children so as not to harm their liver.
At an older age, children unknowingly spoil their filtering organs with the use of chips, hot dogs, etc. Carbonated drinks, sugary juices in large quantities, and sweets are very harmful. Flour dishes in unlimited quantities also affect the digestive system and liver. In half the cases, it is a significant excess of normal body mass that causes steatosis in children.
Diffuse changes in the liver in a child, like in an adult, do not immediately appear. They become noticeable only after years. And sometimes they accidentally show up when an ultrasound scan is done.
Treatment
So, when a diffuse change in the liver is detected, the treatment will be as follows. The patient will be prescribed vitamin B and E vitamins. To restore the organ cells themselves, it is important to use the liver drugs: FanDetox, Gepabene, Heptral and others.
To control the amount of fat there is a special group of drugs called statins. If necessary, choleretic drugs are also prescribed. In some cases, you have to turn to surgery. A person is operated on if he has a cyst or a tumor. Or the liver is affected by metastases.
The role of statins in treatment
It is known that cholesterol adversely affects the liver and blood vessel walls. The mechanism of occurrence in the body of this substance was discovered by a Japanese researcher. To prevent the negative effects of cholesterol, modern pharmacists have come up with statins - drugs that can improve the quality of life.
Statins are a class of substances that can stop the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver cells at the first stage. However, such drugs have serious side effects. One of them is an increase in insulin levels as a result of adaptation of the body.
Prevention
As a prevention, doctors recommend proper nutrition. It is necessary to exclude alcohol and flour dishes. It is necessary to observe the regimen of the day, control of cholesterol. You also need treatment in a sanatorium (at least once a year), specializing in the recovery of people with gastrointestinal problems. If you find signs of diffuse changes in the liver, you must immediately go and do an ultrasound. This is the very first examination that a doctor will need to make a diagnosis in such cases.
Observing the principles of proper nutrition is extremely important. Fatty meats should be discarded completely if the liver is already giving some signals. And it’s better to switch to eggs, legumes and steamed fish. A person does not need much protein, only about 200 grams per day. After 19 hours, eating is not recommended, as closer to night the body prepares for bed. The stomach does not produce gastric juice well. Everything that is eaten in the evening will only harm the person.
Self-medication for pain in the liver is strictly prohibited by the doctor. Any medicine only aggravates the condition. You can drink medicinal infusions. But only after visiting the therapist.
Diet number 8 according to Pevzner
To maintain the health of the body, you should strictly adhere to a special therapeutic diet. This diet with diffuse changes in the liver helps to recover it on its own. And if you strictly adhere to this diet, the liver really will heal itself.
It is only necessary to remove harmful products from the daily diet. In this case, a person is allowed to eat:
- vegetarian soups;
- fruit jelly;
- milk porridge (except millet and barley in milk, because they are difficult to digest);
- steamed fish;
- casseroles;
- dishes of boiled vegetables;
- dairy drinks, for example kefir, fermented baked milk;
- honey;
- mousses;
- herbal teas.
The diagnosis of "pronounced diffuse changes in the liver" always catches up with those who often visit the pizzeria, "McDonald's" and do not comply with the diet.
A patient with a sick liver per day should not consume more than 2800 calories. So that all digestive organs rest a little from the load, it is forbidden to eat fried. You can only steamed or baked in the oven, but without a crust.
conclusions
So, moderate diffuse changes in the liver are quite common. If you do not monitor your health, do not control the weight and cholesterol in the blood, then problems with the filtration organ lead to chronic hepatosis. Are diffuse liver changes dangerous? Prophylactic treatment and weight loss reduce the risk of serious complications such as hepatomegaly.
And in general, the disease has good forecasts, since the changes are completely reversible, if hepatic fibrosis has not yet begun.