Liver disease can result from infection, an inherited condition, cancer or an overload of toxic substances. Healthcare providers can treat many types of liver disease effectively with medication or lifestyle changes. If you have severe liver disease, a liver transplant may restore your health and extend your life.
Full Answer
What are the causes of liver disease?
There are many types of liver disease, which can be caused by infections, inherited conditions, obesity and misuse of alcohol. Over time, liver disease may lead to scarring and more serious complications.
What is the treatment for liver disease?
Treatment Treatment for liver disease depends on your diagnosis. Some liver problems can be treated with lifestyle modifications, such as stopping alcohol use or losing weight, typically as part of a medical program that includes careful monitoring of liver function. Other liver problems may be treated with medications or may require surgery.
How can I find out what caused my liver damage?
Finding the cause and extent of liver damage is important in guiding treatment. Your doctor is likely to start with a health history and thorough physical examination. Your doctor may then recommend: Blood tests.
How does fatty liver disease develop?
Fatty liver develops when your body produces too much fat or doesn’t metabolize fat efficiently enough. The excess fat is stored in liver cells, where it accumulates and causes fatty liver disease. This build-up of fat can be caused by a variety of things. For example, drinking too much alcohol can cause alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Diagnosis
An ultrasound uses sound waves to create an image. This ultrasound shows a liver tumor.
Treatment
Treatment for liver disease depends on your diagnosis. Some liver problems can be treated with lifestyle modifications, such as stopping alcohol use or losing weight, typically as part of a medical program that includes careful monitoring of liver function. Other liver problems may be treated with medications or may require surgery.
Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Changing certain lifestyle habits can often help improve your liver health. If you've been diagnosed with liver disease, your doctor may recommend that you:
Alternative medicine
No alternative medicine therapies have been proved to treat liver disease. Some studies have indicated possible benefits, but further research is needed.
Preparing for your appointment
You may be referred to a doctor who specializes in the liver (hepatologist).
Various types of liver infections
The most frequently occurring liver infections are hepatitis viruses, including hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These viruses can induce liver damage, spread through blood or semen, contaminated food or water, or immediate connection with an infected person.
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is a term that defines the yellowing of the eyes, skins, and mucous membranes that occurs because the bile flow in the liver is slow, and it gets back into the blood. This results in the urine turning dark with bile and the stool turning light-coloured because of the reduction of bile secretion.
Risk factors associated with the liver
Jaundice most frequently happens when there is excessive bilirubin production or too little bilirubin released from the liver. In both these scenarios, the result is a deposition of bilirubin in the tissues. Different conditions that may lead to jaundice include
Symptoms of hepatitis B
The symptoms and signs of hepatitis B can differ from mild to severe and occur in about one to four months once infected. You can observe the infection as early as two weeks post-infection.
Remedies and Treatments for Infected Liver
Getting a liver cure relies on the root cause of the problem. A medical doctor normally decides on the right remedies after a final diagnosis. They conduct a physical examination where they sense your abdomen to get a feel of your liver's size, texture, and shape.
Natural Remedies for a Healthy Liver
Healthy functioning of liver a healthy diet is a must. Try adding these food items to your daily regime to have a healthy liver.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Jaundice is a signal of liver disorders. Usually, bilirubin is removed from the blood by the liver and excreted in bile and stool, but in jaundice, it increases in the blood. The skin and the eyes become yellow because of the escalation of bilirubin in the skin.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is when fat builds up in the liver of people who don’t drink a lot of alcohol.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD)
Drinking a lot of alcohol damages the liver. Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) is the earliest stage of alcohol-related liver disease. If there’s no inflammation or other complications, the condition is known as simple alcoholic fatty liver.
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP)
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is when excess fat builds up in the liver during pregnancy. It’s a rare but serious pregnancy complication. The exact cause is unknown, although genetics may be a reason.
Physical exam
To check for liver inflammation, your doctor may palpate or press on your abdomen. If your liver is enlarged, they might be able to feel it.
Blood tests
In many cases, fatty liver disease is diagnosed after blood tests show elevated liver enzymes. For example, your doctor may order the alanine aminotransferase test (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase test (AST) to check your liver enzymes.
Imaging studies
Your doctor may use one or more of the following imaging tests to check for excess fat or other problems with your liver:
Liver biopsy
A liver biopsy is considered the best way to determine the severity of liver disease.
Overview
Liver spots are patches of darker skin. They vary in size from about a tenth of an inch (one-quarter centimeter) to half an inch (one centimeter) across. They often show up on skin areas that have sun exposure, such as your face, hands or arms.
Symptoms and Causes
Liver spots appear in areas where melanin has gathered or clumped. Melanin is the substance that gives your skin pigment.
Diagnosis and Tests
Your healthcare provider can usually identify liver spots by looking at them. If there is any concern that a dark skin patch may be cancerous, your provider can perform a skin biopsy.
Management and Treatment
You usually don’t need treatment for solar lentigines. But you may want to lighten their appearance for cosmetic reasons.
Prevention
The most effective way to prevent liver spots is to protect yourself from UV light and sun damage. You should:
Living With
Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider if you have a liver spot that is:
Diagnosis
Treatment
- Treatment for liver disease depends on your diagnosis. Some liver problems can be treated with lifestyle modifications, such as stopping alcohol use or losing weight, typically as part of a medical program that includes careful monitoring of liver function. Other liver problems may be treated with medications or may require surgery. Treatment for l...
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- Changing certain lifestyle habits can often help improve your liver health. If you've been diagnosed with liver disease, your doctor may recommend that you: 1. Drink alcohol sparingly, if at all. 2. Avoid red meat, trans fats, processed carbohydrates and foods with high-fructose corn syrup. 3. Exercise 30 to 60 minutes around three to four times a week at a moderate intensity. 4. Cut calo…
Alternative Medicine
- No alternative medicine therapies have been proved to treat liver disease. Some studies have indicated possible benefits, but further research is needed. On the other hand, some dietary and herbal supplements can harm your liver. More than a thousand medications and herbal products have been associated with liver damage, including: 1. Vitamin A 2. Ma-huang 3. Germander 4. Va…