The liver performs an important function in the body. This organ simultaneously takes part in the work of several systems at once: digestive, hematopoietic, metabolic processes and hormonal balance. That is why, if the liver fails, then the whole body suffers from this. There is a lot of information about liver diseases, methods of treating and cleansing the liver, symptoms of diseases and their causes, but it is important to understand what types of ailments exist and how to distinguish between them.
Liver Functions
As one of the important organs in the human body, the liver performs many different functions. It is responsible for the functioning of the digestive system, is a pantry for vitamins and minerals, actively participates in the processes of hematopoiesis and performs a barrier function. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins that enter the body with food in the digestive tract undergo splitting and digestion and already in the bloodstream enter the liver, where they againundergo decay, but already through biochemical reactions. The role of the liver is to form albumin, prothrombin and fibrinogen from protein, convert carbohydrates into glycogen and fats into cholesterol. For the rational functioning of the body, vitamins and minerals are necessary, which accumulate in the cells of this important organ and are released at the right time to maintain the work of the body. In addition, the liver itself is able to synthesize vitamins such as A and B12.
In the liver tissues, erythrocytes and other blood cells are broken down and utilized, resulting in the formation of bilirubin. It is excreted from the body in the urine. Hemoglobin, special substances involved in blood clotting processes, fibrinogen and others are also synthesized here. With various liver poisoning, toxic substances are detoxified.
Common symptoms of liver disease
All liver diseases are accompanied by pain in the right side under the ribs. As a rule, pains have long aching character. During physical exertion or shaking while driving, they increase, and weaken at rest. Increased pain also contributes to the load on the liver through the use of fatty, spicy or fried foods. Common signs of all possible diseases of the body include:
- loss of appetite;
- nausea, vomiting;
- belching, heartburn;
- weakness, lethargy;
- reduced performance.
Almost all types of liver diseases are characterized by a change in skin color. Initially, the patient has yellowing of the sclera of the eyes, and then the skin becomes yellowish. In addition, there is a discoloration of the feces and a significant darkening of the urine to dark brown shades. Against the background of the above symptoms, itching may occur due to an increase in the level of bile components in the blood. Women experience menstrual irregularities, men develop impotence.
Symptoms and manifestations of liver diseases, diagnosis and treatment directly depend on the causes of damage to this organ. To determine the problem at the initial stage, a whole range of laboratory blood tests is carried out.
Types of liver diseases
Depending on the degree of damage and localization of the inflammatory process in the liver, all possible diseases of this organ are divided into two large groups:
- diffuse;
- focal.
Under diffuse understand those inflammatory phenomena in the liver that affect its entire area (for example, viral and acute hepatitis, steatosis, sclerosing cholangitis, biliary cirrhosis and others). Focal ailments include tumors and cysts. It is important to recognize in time what type this or that liver disease belongs to. Each group has its own symptoms and treatment.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is divided into two forms: acute and chronic. The acute form develops suddenly and is accompanied by a diffuse lesion of the entire surface of the liver. The cause of the development of the disease are viruses that enter the body in various ways. From how the virus enters the body, hepatitis is dividedtypes A, B, C, D, E and F. For example, virus A is transmitted through contaminated water, food, virus B - through blood, hepatitis C also spreads through the hematogenous route, can be transmitted sexually.
Causes of liver damage can be long-term medication, alcohol abuse, poor diet. Acute forms of liver disease (the symptoms, signs and treatment of liver diseases for each type of virus have their own characteristics) are due to the manifestation of some common signs. These include:
- icteric period;
- weakness and increased fatigue;
- constant feeling of nausea;
- occasional vomiting;
- complete loss of appetite.
In some cases, the disease is accompanied by pain in the joints, muscles, fever and other flu-like manifestations. When the above symptoms increase in a patient, discolored stools and darkened urine join them. The anicteric form of acute hepatitis is characterized by symptoms such as general weakness, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and an enlarged liver. Symptoms, treatment and diet for this form of the disease can be prescribed in two directions: radical and conservative. According to the first, the patient does not need any special treatment or diets. Symptoms of hepatitis gradually decrease, and recovery occurs. In this case, the patient is recommended bed rest, plenty of warm drink (herbal decoctions) and rest. If these requirements are not met andrecommendations, various complications of the disease and the risk of its transition to a chronic form are possible. Conservative treatment of acute hepatitis is carried out in a hospital with the obligatory diet and other prescriptions of the attending physician.
Chronic hepatitis is a relapsing or untreated inflammatory disease of the liver. Symptoms and treatment depend on the form of the disease: chronic active and chronic persistent. The reasons that affect the development of the disease include the following:
- viruses (B, C, D);
- alcoholism;
- chemical poisons that affect the destruction of the liver;
- some medicines.
In some cases, the cause of hepatitis remains unidentified, and the disease is called idiopathic. Active hepatitis is most often viral. The disease is severe, it can turn into cirrhosis. Persistent hepatitis has more favorable consequences. Its main feature is weakness and a moderately enlarged liver with no other symptoms. Active hepatitis is characterized by such signs as itching, yellowness of the skin and sclera of the eyes, pain in the right hypochondrium, and sometimes hemorrhages occur on the skin.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis is the most complex diffuse liver disease. Symptoms and treatment depend on the degree of damage to the liver tissues. The most common causes of the disease are viruses and alcoholism. Inflammation causes a large diffuse growthhyperplastic tissues that quickly replace normal he althy liver cells, disrupting blood circulation in tissues.
The most common signs of cirrhosis include weakness, malaise, insomnia, decreased ability to work. There is also jaundice, skin hemorrhages, itching, a sharp weight loss caused by impaired absorption of the stomach. A complication of the disease is the expansion of the veins of the esophagus, followed by bleeding.
Hepatic steatosis
Steatosis is a disease characterized by fatty liver. The symptoms of the disease, the features of the course are due to the degree of accumulation of body fat in the organ.
The causes of the disease are diabetes mellitus, protein deficiency associated with poor nutrition, obesity, alcoholism, endocrine disorders, and chronic diseases of the digestive system. To diagnose steatosis, it is necessary to undergo an ultrasound examination. An inexperienced doctor may confuse it with persistent chronic hepatitis or Gilbert's disease.
Biliary cirrhosis
Primary biliary cirrhosis is a special form of liver disease. This form is characterized by an inflammatory process that affects the smallest intrahepatic bile ducts. After that, the inflammation spreads to the liver cells, as a result of which they are replaced by hyperplastic or connective tissue. Unfortunately, the causes that affect the liver in this way are not known. Symptomsher diseases and treatment will be closely interconnected. It is known that women from 35 to 60 years old get sick more often. It is in middle age that they exacerbate various liver diseases. Signs and symptoms of biliary cirrhosis are caused by the appearance of itchy skin on the palms and soles, which intensifies and spreads throughout the body, depending on the severity of the disease. Over time, yellowness of the skin also occurs, the level of cholesterol in the blood increases, the liver and spleen increase significantly in size, and the absorption of vitamins worsens.
The disease is very difficult to treat, in most cases a liver transplant is required. Conservative medicine is aimed at replenishing the missing vitamins to the body, reducing itching of the skin. In addition, the patient is forced to follow a strict diet and take vitamins.
Liver tumors
There are two groups of tumors:
- benign (hemangiomas);
- malignant (liver cancer).
Tumor is a disease of the liver, the symptoms and treatment of which cannot be determined without a thorough diagnostic examination. The fact is that the tumor is rarely accompanied by pain at the initial stage. This creates certain difficulties in its identification, and the patient does not receive the necessary treatment on time.
Hemangiomas are a tumor of the blood vessels penetrating the liver. They can be detected either by ultrasound or by computed tomography. Large tumors are treated surgically. Small hemangiomas should be observed by undergoing a routine diagnostic examination 2-3 times a year.
Malignant tumors are divided into:
- primary cancer;
- cancer on the background of cirrhosis;
- liver metastases.
To detect the disease, a blood test is important, which shows how much AFP protein is released into the blood by the liver. Symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the tumor.
Liver cysts
Any cyst is a cavity located inside an organ and filled with fluid. It is usually oval or round in shape. Cysts are multiple and single. You can identify the disease during ultrasound diagnostics, after which the doctor will determine the type of cyst (parasitic or non-parasitic), find out if it is a harbinger of the initial stage of cancer and whether there are any complications of liver disease. The symptoms and signs, diet and treatment of a liver cyst depends on its type.
A parasitic cyst occurs as a result of exposure to the body of parasitic flatworms - echinococci or alveococci. This type of cyst is characterized by the following symptoms:
- pain in the right side under the lower ribs;
- significant enlargement of the liver;
- yellowness of the skin;
- itching of the skin.
Possible complications of a parasitic cyst are its rupture or suppuration. Suppuration of cysts is called "abscess". The reason is bacteria or protozoa (for example, amoeba). Symptoms of a liver abscess include fever, liver enlargement, pain on palpation, and increased white blood cell count. Treatment of complicated forms of the disease is carried out surgically.
A non-parasitic cyst is seen by a doctor every 4-6 months with an ultrasound. Based on the results of the ultrasound, the doctor monitors the dynamics of the disease and makes decisions about its treatment.
Features of the treatment of liver diseases with folk remedies
Before turning to healers and healers for help, one should undergo a qualitative examination, identify the causes of the disease and determine its name and form. Otherwise, alternative therapy, chosen by eye, can not only aggravate the patient's condition, but also lead to premature death. It should also be remembered that many medicinal plants are toxic, and their treatment is unsafe. In addition, the excretory system and liver are responsible for removing any substances from the body (including medicinal decoctions). That is why you should very carefully choose folk remedies, folk treatment. Symptoms of liver disease for non-professionals seem monotonous and have only some distinctive features. Therefore, the consultation of the attending physician is extremely important for a patient who decides to use alternative therapy. The doctor will compare information about the disease and give useful recommendations based on where and how the liver hurts and what is the most effective treatment for it.
Folk therapy is aimed at restoring the functionality of the liver, reducing pain, reducing the inflammatory process in the liver tissues, improving the general condition of the body. Prepared medicines according to healer's recipes have a protective, antitumor and regenerating effect on the liver.
Folk treatment of the liver with decoctions of milk thistle, helichrysum, corn stigmas is widespread. Well helps with the first pains of honey in the comb, it is mixed with cinnamon and taken on an empty stomach half an hour before meals. Such a tool gently and gently cleans the tissue and relieves inflammation. An effective remedy for the treatment of inflammatory liver diseases is prepared on the basis of cold-pressed olive oil, honey and lemon juice. These components are mixed and taken 3 times a day for 30 grams. It is useful to include zucchini and pumpkin in the diet, which are steamed or stewed. Also useful are beets, carrots and other root vegetables that can be eaten both raw and stewed.
To cleanse the liver, a recipe based on oat grains is suitable. 3 tablespoons of raw materials are mixed with dry lingonberry leaves and birch buds (10-15 grams of each ingredient). Everything is poured with 4 liters of clean water and infused for a day in a cool place. Separately, 200 grams of wild rose and 2 tablespoons of dried knotweed grass are brewed in 200 grams of water. The decoction is mixed with strained oat infusion and taken 100 grams before meals for 10 days. The rest of the medicine should be stored in the refrigerator. This treatment is suitable for absolutely everyone.
Prevention
Prevention of any disease is always more rational than later spending energy and money on its treatment. To prevent alarming bells about the state of the liver, you should lead a he althy lifestyle, give up bad habits (alcohol, smoking, gluttony), eat varied, take vitamins. It is not too late to take care of he alth even when some symptoms of the disease appear and the liver already hurts a little. The symptoms, causes and treatment will be determined by the doctor during the examination and diagnosis, and the patient's duty will be the exact observance of all prescribed recommendations. In this case, there is a high chance that the disease will not become chronic, will not have serious complications, and recovery will occur in a short time.
