A feeling of pressure and a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium, as well as discomfort after eating, soreness are vivid symptoms of problems with the hepatobiliary system in the body. If you ignore this kind of symptoms, they will provoke an increase in liver size. If the organ significantly increases in size, then the situation can be considered very critical. For this reason, it is important to track bloating, stopping the problem at the initial stage of development. Be sure to consult a doctor to get professional treatment. You should not try to get rid of the disease yourself and try, you can make it worse. But how to treat an enlarged liver? What will this symptom talk about? Why is this organ enlarged? We will talk about this and much more in the article.
Enlarged liver
Before answering the question of how to treat an enlarged liver, it is necessary to understand in more detail what exactly this disease is. In the field of medicine, hepatomegaly is usually called an increase in the size of the liver. However, it should be noted that such a phenomenon is not considered a disease. Hepatomegaly is attributed to characteristic symptoms that report problems in the hepatobiliary system.
The danger of organ enlargement is not only a violation of the liver and digestion - it can be a sign of abnormalities in organs and systems that are not associated with the gastrointestinal tract: blood, heart. When the patient feels a bloating of the liver, it is important to stop this symptom at the initial stage of its appearance, as it can provoke very serious consequences for the body. They are as follows:
- Hepatic failure, which can result in death.
- The appearance of benign tumors.
- The development of diseases, the symptom of which is an enlarged liver.
- Hepatocarcinoma.
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
To avoid the above complications, you need to know how to treat an enlarged liver. In addition, it is important to start therapy for this symptom on time. Be sure to consult a therapist who will refer you to a specialist.
Causes of liver enlargement
The liver may increase due to diseases that are associated with the body, circulatory problems, and also due to some infections. The most accurate diagnosis can only be made by a qualified specialist when he conducts some diagnostic measures. In addition, only a doctor can tell how to treat an enlarged liver.
In most cases, the causes of this symptom are:
- Tumors: primary carcinoma, adenomas, metastatic cancer, focal type nodular hyperplasia, cysts. In a similar situation, the left or right lobe of the organ increases. Completely, the liver with tumors will no longer become.
- Inflammatory processes. First of all, cirrhosis, as well as hepatitis of a viral or drug etiology should be attributed here.
- Infiltrative processes: fatty degeneration, hepatosis, leukemia, amyloidosis, lymphoma, sarcoidosis or tuberculosis hepatitis, hemochromatosis.
- Hereditary factor: congenital metabolic diseases, Gaucher disease.
- Defeat toxins. As a rule, this occurs against the background of drug treatment or alcohol dependence.
- Circulatory problems. This includes the failure of the right heart, as well as blockage of the hepatic veins.
- Bacterial or viral infections that affect the hepatobiliary system.
- Helminthiasis.
- Gallstone disease, as well as a violation of lipid metabolism.
An important point is also considered an increase in the liver in a child. If this happens to your baby, then the cause may lie in jaundice. This disease is very common among infants. She does not need therapy, since all the signs will pass by themselves. The causes of jaundice are as follows:
- Violation of the endocrine system in the mother, in particular, diabetes.
- Birth injury.
Do not be afraid of liver enlargement in preschool children, since pediatricians consider this phenomenon to be completely normal, because it is associated with the development of the body. If the organ is felt outside the ribs by about 2 cm, then this is not dangerous. As they grow older, the symptoms in the child will disappear. But still it is worth seeing a doctor.
But if the size of the organ does not change, and also exceeds the established norms, it is accompanied by other symptoms of any internal disorders, for example, temperature, nausea, yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, the appearance of rashes, weight loss, then the reasons may include the following:
- Pathology of the metabolic process.
- The presence of metastases.
- Drug or toxic liver damage.
- TORCH infections of a congenital nature.
- Blockage of the bile ducts.
- Diseases of the biliary tract.
Symptoms
If the liver is enlarged, how to treat, what to do with this problem? First of all, it is necessary to diagnose the increased size of this organ. Therefore, you should familiarize yourself with the symptoms that indicate an enlarged liver. Hepatomegaly will always be characterized by discomfort, which is localized in the right hypochondrium. There is also a feeling of heaviness, pressure. Additional symptoms may occur:
- Change in the color of feces and urine.
- Yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
- Heartburn.
- Nausea, severe belching.
- Emotional instability, increased degree of irritability.
Diagnostics
Only a qualified doctor can answer the question more accurately if the liver is enlarged, what to do, how to treat it. For this, specialists use some diagnostic procedures: CT, MRI, ultrasound. In the case of hepatomegaly in the clavicle on the right line, the liver is longer than 12 cm in length. In this case, it will be well felt in the left lobe of the epigastric zone. It is imperative to monitor such moments:
- The presence of foreign tissue in the right hepatic quadrant.
- Absence or presence of omission of the organ.
- Soreness, as well as the formation of a seal, noticeable when feeling the organ.
Treatment features
So, we figured out why the liver is enlarged. How to treat a similar symptom? In order to determine therapeutic measures, it is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. In addition to the above diagnostic methods, the specialist can additionally prescribe a biopsy to the patient if there is suspicion of steatosis or cancer. A comprehensive blood test is also mandatory. In addition, the doctor must compose the patient’s oral complaints, and, if necessary, send them to the study for other specialists.
The treatment regimen for an enlarged liver is often established not only by a gastroenterologist, but also by an infectious disease specialist, hepatologist. These doctors will tell you how to treat an enlarged liver at home, what medicines to take.
However, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that whatever the cause of liver enlargement, the basis of therapy will be dieting. The exact dietary restriction will be prescribed by the attending physician, however, the essence of the diet will consist in sparing the body. Speaking about how long such a diet will last, it is worth noting that this stage can stretch for several months or even years.
How to treat an enlarged liver? Medicines will be mandatory included in the basis of therapy. As a rule, for this, drugs from the group of hepatoprotectors are prescribed, which have not so much therapeutic effect as prophylactic. Such drugs are needed to maintain the body, but they are not able to eliminate existing diseases.
We continue to consider how to treat an enlarged liver at home. Please note that not a single drug will work against this problem if the essence lies in advanced hepatitis. At a later stage, transplantation will be the only therapeutic measure. However, up to this point, specialists seek to prevent the development of complications.
Diet
So, how to treat an enlarged liver at home? As mentioned earlier, the basis of therapy is to follow a diet. Whatever the cause of hepatomegaly, hunger strikes must not be allowed. For the liver, this is no less dangerous than excessive consumption of food. Any diets with an increase in the body require compliance with simple rules. How to treat enlarged liver in a child and adult? How to eat food?
First of all, you need to eat fractionally. This suggests that the patient should consume food in small portions, but often: in this way the body protects itself from overload and also stimulates the release of bile. In one day, it is advisable to eat at least 5 times. The interval in this case should be no more than 2 hours. However, the exact figure will depend on the specific situation, as well as on the patient’s lifestyle.
Speaking about if the liver is enlarged, how to treat in adults and children with the help of diets, it should also be mentioned that in the diet it is necessary to reduce the amount of protein food. This is especially important for those patients who suffer from cirrhosis, since they have a high likelihood of developing hepatic coma due to an increased level of ammonia in the blood.
How to treat enlarged liver and fatty hepatosis yet? What nutritional rules should be followed? It is imperative to refuse fatty and spicy foods. The fact is that such dishes are the main sources of stress on the hepatobiliary system.
What not to eat?
So, we have sorted out for what reasons the liver is enlarged. How to treat this symptom? What needs to be excluded from your diet in order to overcome this problem? As a rule, the following foods will be banned:
- Dairy and dairy products, the fat content of which is more than 5%.
- Products from puff pastry, muffin.
- Sauces.
- Fatty fish.
- Fat meat.
- Egg yolks.
- Semi-finished products, fast food, sausages.
- Strong fish and meat broths.
- Legumes
- Canned food.
- Spinach and sorrel.
- Cocoa, as well as its derivatives.
- Refined sugar.
- Confectionery.
- Carbonated drinks.
- Coffee.
What is allowed to eat?
The basis of the diet for hepatomegaly therapy will include vegetables, fruits, and greens. It is allowed to eat cereals, dairy vegetable soups, river fish, dietary meat. Milk, as well as dairy products should have a fat content of not more than 5%. It is allowed to eat one whole egg daily. It is advisable to prepare compotes based on dried fruits, but without the addition of sugar.
You can drink weak tea, freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. The diet can include honey, berries, marmalade. Rarely, olive or butter can be added to dishes.
Medicines
The liver is enlarged: what to do, how to treat with medicine? The selection of medications that will be used to treat the enlarged organ should be done only by an experienced doctor. Most patients without fail accept hepatoprotectors, which protect the diseased organ, normalize its functioning, and also stop further cell changes. In addition, the following medications may be prescribed by your doctor:
- Enzyme drugs: capsules, tablets that make up the deficiency of digestive enzymes.
- Drugs that stimulate the outflow of bile.
- Glucocorticosteroids, which are used in the late stage of cirrhosis as an anti-inflammatory agent.
- The antiviral medications that are most commonly used for viral hepatitis, but only at an early stage.
- Diuretics. These drugs are prescribed in case of ascites. They are contraindicated in the treatment of cirrhosis at an advanced stage, when there is a risk of developing hepatic coma.
Folk remedies and liver treatment
And how to treat an enlarged liver with folk remedies? To speed up the elimination of toxins from the body, prevent deterioration of well-being, and also protect the body from the effects of drugs, you can use traditional medicine recipes. As a rule, they do not have such a therapeutic effect as medications, but the result can be seen if the disease proceeds at the initial stage of development.
You should pay attention to the fact that you need to use homemade recipes in a comprehensive manner, with the medications that the doctor prescribed. Most often, the following traditional medicine recipes are used for this purpose:
- Oat broth. For its preparation, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse one glass of oats, after which pour raw materials with one liter of cold water. In a small container with thick walls, the oats should be brought to a boil, and then boil over low heat for 40 minutes. Then the pan is wrapped in a blanket, left for 6 hours. The finished product is used in an amount of 50 ml before meals. The duration of treatment is 1 month.
- Honey and turmeric. To prepare this healing product, you need to mix a quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric with one teaspoon of natural honey. These ingredients are poured with one glass of hot water, but not boiling water. Mix everything thoroughly and then consume before eating. Use this tool 4 times a day. The duration of treatment is 15 days.
Herbs
There are a large number of different herbal preparations that help gently restore the function of the hepatobiliary system. In addition, they stop the degenerative-dystrophic process. The venous circulation also normalizes in parallel. The following recipes are effective in the treatment of hepatomegaly:
- Milk Thistle Powder. It is necessary to use it one teaspoon mainly with meals. The powder must be chewed thoroughly, washed down with warm water. The duration of treatment is usually 1 month.
- Collection of calendula, celandine, hypericum, coltsfoot. All herbs are taken in equal proportions. After that, two tablespoons of the mixture are poured with two glasses of boiling water, insisted for an hour. The received product is taken in half a glass 20 minutes before eating. Use such a tool is necessary 3 times a day. It should be noted that the duration of treatment should be at least a month.
- Take in equal proportions the leaves of St. John's wort, mint, immortelle flowers, motherwort grass. All ingredients are mixed, after which two tablespoons of the mixture is boiled in 500 ml of water. Then the composition must be filtered. It should be consumed in an amount of 50 ml, and before eating. The duration of treatment is 1 month.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that to prevent hepatomegaly, you must monitor your body weight, avoiding excess weight. You should also reconsider your own lifestyle: eliminate nicotine and alcohol, normalize the schedule of rest and work, go to the gym, and also minimize stressful situations.