Pain in the liver

Many people wonder - why does the liver hurt? In order to answer it, first you need to understand that the liver itself cannot hurt, because this organ is deprived of painful nerve endings, but there are a lot of these endings in the capsule surrounding it. Therefore, it is more correct to pose the question like this - why does it hurt in the liver?

Pain in the liver occurs due to an extension of the organ due to some internal factors, for example, pain in the liver after a long cross can be called physiological - in this case, the blood rushes to the organ, it grows in size and puts all its weight on the capsule, from - for which there is pain. But these are physiological reasons that cannot give long-term pathological changes that will certainly manifest themselves in the event of a disease.

Diseases that can cause pain in the liver:

  • Cirrhosis

A liver disease characterized by replacement of the parenchyma with connective tissue. Replacement occurs irreversibly, therefore, over time, the body completely loses its functionality. The causes of liver cirrhosis are prolonged alcoholization of the body and viral hepatitis.

  • Hepatitis

A group of diseases that cause acute and chronic inflammatory processes in the liver. In total, more than 7 types of hepatitis are known, which differ due to the onset and severity of the disease. Hepatitis can be caused by either an infectious agent, a virus or a bacterium, or other external factors, which include long-term use of alcohol, potent drugs, or prolonged radiation exposure.

  • Steatosis

A disease characterized by the accumulation of fatty inclusions in the liver cells. There are quite a few reasons for the occurrence of steatosis, these include metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, obesity), toxic factors (alcohol, toxins, drugs), poor nutrition (starvation or overeating) and others.

  • Abscess

An abscess is an inflammation of the tissues, accompanied by purulent exudate. The cause of the liver abscess may be a pyogenic agent, that is, a bacterium located inside the body, which is now quite a rare occurrence, or an amoeba that invades the liver from the colon.

  • Tumor

A tumor can be either benign or malignant. In any case, the tumor will enlarge the liver in size, which, in turn, will put pressure on the capsule, thereby causing pain in the liver. The causes of tumors are many - from the above diseases to infectious agents.

  • Cyst

Pathological cavity in the liver tissue. The causes of cysts in the liver are congenital pathology of the bile ducts, which develop incorrectly and turn into cavities.

As you can see, there are many diseases that can cause pain in the liver. The doctor should, of course, be involved in the identification and treatment of these diseases, but if the study has not revealed any chronic diseases and the pain does not stop, then it may be worth sticking to a special diet that will help restore normal liver functions.

Nutrition tips for the normal functioning of the liver:

  • First of all, be sure to adhere to five meals a day.
  • Secondly, completely eliminate fried foods from the diet and eat exclusively boiled or baked.
  • Minimize salt intake (not more than 12 grams per day).

Recommended Products:

  • vegetable, dairy and fruit soups;
  • buckwheat and oatmeal porridge;
  • pasta;
  • chicken or lean meat;
  • whole grain bread;
  • low-fat fish.

Prohibited Products:

  • alcohol;
  • mushrooms;
  • spinach;
  • liver;
  • carbonated drinks;
  • chocolate;
  • ice cream;
  • cocoa.


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