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Live And Let Live(r)

On the occasion of World Liver Day (commemorated on April 19), let’s take a look at Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) and its successor, Liver Cirrhosis.

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

Also called hepatic steatosis, it is the build-up of fat in the liver. Symptoms include enlargement of the liver and jaundice.

Is fatty liver a serious disease?

In itself, it is not a serious condition, but without proper treatment and care, it can turn into deadly liver cirrhosis.

How can an enlarged fatty liver be treated?

Enlarged fatty liver can be treated through weight loss, exercise, a healthy diet and avoiding sugar and alcohol. Turmeric, green leafy vegetables, and citrus fruits are all great for liver health.

Can the liver be cleansed using olive oil?

Olive oil is rich in MUFA, a good fatty acid. However, the amount of olive oil should be limited, and the maximum amount of cooking oil one should consume in a month is 500 ml.

Epsom salts are often taken with olive oil as a liver detox home remedy. However, this method only has a laxative effect and can cause dehydration. It should therefore be avoided. 

Stick to your doctor’s recommendations when it comes to diet and treatment for your liver.

What is liver cirrhosis and is it fatal? 

Cirrhosis is the scarring or fibrosis of healthy liver tissue. If left untreated, it eventually damages the liver and affects its functioning to the point of death. 

What are the stages of liver cirrhosis?

There are 2 stages of cirrhosis: 

  1. Compensated (asymptomatic) cirrhosis 
  2. Decompensated (symptomatic) cirrhosis
    The decompensated phase is further divided into classes A B And C, where the severity of symptoms ranges from mild (A) to severe (C).

What are the symptoms of liver cirrhosis?

The symptoms of liver cirrhosis include but are not limited to:

Can a fatty liver turn into cirrhosis in a month and a half?

No. It takes years for fatty liver to turn into cirrhosis, so it is best to detect it early and treat it correctly.

What foods should be avoided while treating liver cirrhosis?

Avoid processed and fast food and foods rich in fat. Fruits that have a high fructose content, like raisins, should also be avoided, along with alcohol and uncooked or raw meat.

Will occasional drinking lead to liver disease?

Yes, occasional drinking can lead to liver disease if the amounts consumed are large enough.

Fatty liver disease is a silent illness and often goes undiagnosed, so it is important to stay on one’s guard and keep testing to ensure that early signs are caught and that the illness is treated before it ever progresses to liver cirrhosis.

Also Read: What Does Liver Pain Feel Like? Symptoms and Possible Conditions Explained

Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation.

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17 Signs You Suffer From Liver Stress

Our liver is the most hardworking but undervalued organ in the body. Everybody talks about having a healthy heart, weight loss, glowing skin and so on. However, it is our liver that works the hardest in the body and performs approximately 500 or more functions from storing sugar, minerals and vitamins as fuel for the body. It also controls the production and excretion of cholesterol etc. The liver contains bile stored in the gallbladder, and this helps to break down fats.

Just like the heart, the liver also gets stressed, but unlike a stressed heart, the symptoms of a distressed liver show up very late. Stress in the liver shows up when the liver is overworked and sluggish. This organ filters out all foreign particles such as food additives, tobacco, alcohol and environmental factors.

Stressed liver

Did You Know?

Liver Stress Signs

So how do we know if our liver is in distress? Here are seven crucial signs of a stressed liver that we should never ignore:

1. Your skin colour changes

Have you noticed skin discolouration? If yes, then it is the first sign of a liver in distress. If your skin colour changes to jaundice yellow or pale with a blue tinge, or if your nails or fingertips turn yellow, or if there is yellowing of the eyes there is trouble brewing. This change in colour happens because the body is unable to flush out the toxins. When these toxins accumulate over a period, they cause bilirubin to develop under the skin causing discolouration.

2. Suffering from digestion problems

Feel bloated frequently and suffer from constipation too? If you face everyday indigestion issues, it is a sign of a stressed liver. With bloating, you may experience gas and stomach pain as well. This happens because the bile is unable to break down the food and lubricate the intestines.

Another important sign is Spider naevi. Spider angiomas are a collection of blood vessels under the surface of your skin that resembles a spider. Angiomas are red to purple marks on your skin. These are often present in excessive number in people with liver disease

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

3. Pains and body aches

The liver purifies the blood and produces new blood as well. But when under stress, the liver is unable to provide new blood to the muscles, tissues and tendons. This harms our flexibility, causing pain in the upper back and even dry eyes. Continuous pain of this kind will result in fatigue.

Liver function tests are commonly recommended blood tests for measuring different enzymes, proteins and other substances made by the liver. Changes noticed in liver function tests should be reviewed by a physician to find the cause and manage the condition.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.

4. Fatigue

Do you feel tired and drained out all the time? This can be chronic fatigue and a clear indicator that the liver is under stress. The liver feels stressed as the body works very hard to repair the damages. As the body works overtime, it can stress the other organs too and therefore; it results in tiredness. It is best to get your liver checked at this point.

5. Darker urine

Is your urine darker than usual? If yes, then you may not be drinking enough water, and it may cause your stools to be darker too. It could also have blood spots in it. But if you start drinking water and these change, then all is well.  If not, seek medical help right away.

The culture of fast foods these days is slowly damaging the liver due to non alcoholic fatty liver disease,Avoiding refined sugar and fast food diet,eating before dusk helps a lot in prevention of fat accumulation in liver which can allay liver stress symptoms(by promoting weight loss)

Dr. Nikhil Yadav, MBBS MD, CCEBDM

6. Mood swings

Mood swings occur when we are unhappy or stressed. So, when the liver is stressed, it can disturb our emotional health. Emotions like anger, impatience, irritability and depression are common symptoms when the liver is in distress. Worse, it can affect your decision-making abilities and cause brain fog. It may even result in aggression and nasty outburst.

7. Look out for these signs

A stressed liver impacts the overall body functions – it may cause ringing in the ears, insomnia, dizziness, blurry vision, allergies, no sex drive, internal or intestinal bleeding, sensitivities to chemicals, PMS, drastic weight loss and spider veins.

8. Loss of Appetite

Another warning sign of liver distress is little to no interest in food. Loss of appetite is always a sign of some underlying health condition and should never be ignored. 

9. Irregular Sleep Cycles

Although irregular sleep pattern is a common occurrence amongst millennials due to a stressed lifestyle, a study found that liver cirrhosis was responsible for unusual sleep patterns in many patients.

10. Failing Memory

When you are suffering internally from liver fatigue internally, the organs are incapable of detoxing the blood. When toxins are not timely removed from the blood, it leads to hepatic encephalopathy which is a kind of build-up in the brain triggering memory loss. Hepatic encephalopathy could also make it difficult for you to concentrate. 

11. Skin Itchiness

Abnormal skin itchiness is a sign of liver cirrhosis. 

12. Sudden Weight Gain

When you have liver cirrhosis, it gradually develops in your body, replacing the healthy liver tissue with damaged ones. This inhibits blood flow from the lever and makes it difficult for the organ to function properly. 

13. Palms Turn Red

Experts believe that when you develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease your palms start to turn red an outward indicator of the distress inside of you. This means an excess fat build-up in the liver cells of people who do not even look at a bottle of alcohol. 

14. Enlarged Breast in Men

Another warning sign of the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the appearance of enlarged breasts in mem. This happens due to excess growth of the gynecomastia tissues as a result of testosterone and estrogen discord.  

15. Easy Skin Bruises 

Liver damage often surfaces in the form of easy and sudden skin bruises. 

16. Swelling

 Another sign of unexplained liver disease is the sudden swelling in regions around your ankles and legs.  

17. Chills

Experiencing chills is often a natural response of the body when the mercury drops or when you are developing a fever. However, if none of this fits the bill for your sudden and regular chills it could indicate cholestasis during liver disease.

If you have faced any of these symptoms or are unsure as you encounter some of them, do seek medical help. Consult your doctor today or a liver specialist. Also, it is best to make regular health check-ups a habit.

Please note Images are used for editorial representation only. Source: Google.

Also Read: What Does Liver Pain Feel Like? Symptoms and Possible Conditions Explained

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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Fatty Liver Disease: All You Need To Know

We jump at the sight of Happy Hours. We relish the fast-food chains that cater to our junk food cravings, be it at 5 pm or 5 am. We ignored the many times Coca-Cola itself revealed its sugar content and still gulp down the bottle within minutes as it comes with the tagline –”Open Happiness.”With unhealthy lifestyles engulfing people of all age groups, fatty liver disease is on the rise today.Dr Ajay Choksi details out the fatty liver disease, what causes it and how it is treated.

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

Your liver can handle up to 15% of fat, which is totally normal. But when the fat goes overboard and the excess is accumulated in the liver, it is known as fatty liver. There are two broad types of fatty liver:
  1. Alcoholic fatty liver
  2. Non-alcoholic fatty liver

What Sparks off Fatty Liver Disease?

Alcoholic fatty liver, as the name suggests, is caused due to excessive consumption of alcohol. A bunch of factors triggers non-alcoholic fatty liver such as diabetes, obesity  and calories. Usually, a person with a BMI over 30 is prone to this disease, but the world has seen cases in which a BMI such as 25 was also affected. Further, fatty liver is not inclined towards a specific age group.The ones out there living off Happy Meals, beware. Carbs, fat, junk food and cold drinks are deadly when it comes to fatty liver.

How Can You Know?

More often than not, there are no symptoms. If there are, fatty liver may still go unnoticed due to its symptoms being as ordinary as fatigue, weakness and tiredness. You may have the disease but may blame the lethargy on the Movie marathons you pull off every night.A common symptom of alcoholic fatty liver is nausea. If the disease has led to an advanced complication, however, then you may have all the signs and symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver such as loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin, itching, easy bruising and tiredness. Cirrhosis is long-term damage to the liver and involves the loss of liver cells which irreversibly scars the liver.

The Cure: A Lifestyle Modification

The remedy to fatty liver is simple – just stay healthy! In the case of alcoholic fatty liver, you must quit drinking.In the other case, steer clear of sugar overload. Sugar is not completely lethal as your body requires it for energy, but too much of it is. The excess is turned into fat which ultimately gets stored in the adipose tissues and then the liver.It doesn’t hurt to exercise a little either. Few minutes a day devoted to cardio does wonders for your body and it also helps fight fatty liver.Dr Choksi also adds that no drug has proved 100% effective in directly attacking the fatty liver, but medicines for regenerating the liver, combating high sugar and diabetes are often used in the battle.

Fatty Liver Disease is not Always Harmful

An important thing to remember, there is no need to panic in usual cases. However, if your sonography report exposes your fatty liver with a high level of Serum Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (SGPT), it means you have Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).”This may not always be harmful, but you do need to be extremely cautious,” states Dr Ajay Choksi.It is a reason to worry if you notice inflammation of the liver. This would mean that there is a risk of the liver getting chronically diseased (i.e., cirrhosis of the liver) is higher by about 15%. Once there are traces of cirrhosis of the liver, it leaves you with barely any time as the condition worsens rapidly.Also Read: Grade 1 Fatty Liver: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Reversal Strategies

Conclusion

To conclude here, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will keep you away from the fatty liver. A balanced diet and workout is the way to go!Fatty liver is something to be cautious about, but not to fear. Therefore, have those burgers, go for the Mojitos and be a part of dessert crawls. Just know when to stop.Also Read: What Does Liver Pain Feel Like? Symptoms and Possible Conditions ExplainedDisclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.
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