The liver plays an important role in the human body. This organ is a kind of chemical laboratory that quickly and reliably cleanses the body of toxic substances, decay products of drugs. If the liver is disrupted due to developing pathologies, then the whole body suffers. One such disease is persistent hepatitis. Next, we will deal with the causes of the disease, symptoms and methods of therapy.
The role of the liver in the body
To represent the danger of any liver pathologies, it is important to know what functions this organ performs in the body. And there are a lot of them:
- Produces bile, without which it is impossible to digest fats.
- Detoxifies toxic breakdown products of ethyl alcohol, nicotine and drugs.
- Produces albumin and some proteins.
- Takes part in the metabolic reactions of proteins, glucose, vitamins andhormones.
- Responsible for the synthesis of fats and blood coagulation factors.
If a mild form of hepatitis practically does not affect the functioning of the organ, then severe forms can completely disable the liver.
Features of pathology
Many patients do not know what persistent hepatitis is. And the disease is a form of inflammation of the liver. Pathology is characterized by a long course and often does not have specific symptoms. This form of the disease is easily treatable and completely controllable if you follow the recommendations of doctors. Persistent hepatitis (ICD-10 assigned the code K73.0 to it) proceeds with long periods of remission and periodic exacerbations. The disease is characterized only by inflammatory processes in the hepatic lobes, but they themselves do not change and there are no signs of fibrosis or necrosis.
Causes of disease
Most often, persistent hepatitis is diagnosed in men who abuse alcohol. But among the causes of the disease can be noted the presence of bad eating habits, infectious pathologies. Factors provoking chronic persistent hepatitis (ICD-10 code see above) can also include:
- A large amount of fatty foods in the diet.
- High s alt intake.
- Love for pastries and sweets.
- Viral hepatitis.
- Therapy with certain drug groups.
- Toxic effects on the liver of certain substances: radionuclides, heavy metals.
The liver is a filter of the body, and the quality of blood purification from poisonous and toxic substances, as well as metabolic products of ethyl alcohol and drugs depends on its condition.
Symptoms of the disease
Very often, the signs of persistent hepatitis (what it is, we have already considered) are associated with fatigue or ordinary overwork. If there is an impact of provoking factors, then an exacerbation of the pathology is possible with the following manifestations:
- Discomfort in the liver area.
- General weakness.
- A dull pain in the right hypochondrium.
- Among the symptoms of persistent hepatitis is loss of appetite.
- Nausea.
- The patient begins to lose weight.
- Hand shake appears.
- Disturbances in the digestive system.
- Yellowness of the skin may appear.
- On palpation, the liver is slightly painful, but slightly enlarged.
Relapse of the disease may also be accompanied by swelling, the appearance of spider veins. Not all patients have the whole list of symptoms, exacerbation may be accompanied only by indigestion or itching of the skin.
Stages of disease
Chronic persistent hepatitis occurs in two stages:
- Remission.
- Exacerbation.
Pathology worsens, as a rule, against the background of violations of the doctor's recommendations,alcohol intake or reduced immunity during other illnesses.
Remission stage
During this stage no specific therapy is required as hepatitis is not active at this time. Recovery is possible without taking medications, it is enough to follow the following recommendations:
- Remove alcohol from your life. Alcoholic beverages, even the initial stage of the disease, can lead to an exacerbation.
- Adjust diet. Nutrition should be balanced in terms of the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It is necessary to remove fatty, fried, starchy foods.
- Reduce physical activity, but avoiding it completely is not recommended. Walking, exercising or cycling will be enough.
Compliance with these recommendations will get rid of persistent hepatitis at the initial stage of development.
Exacerbation of disease
The stage of exacerbation is shorter than the remission, and proceeds with a violation of some of the functional abilities of the liver. During the examination, specialists detect a slightly elevated protein content in the blood. The patient at this time may complain of aching pain in the right side. On palpation, the liver is slightly enlarged. Exacerbation therapy is carried out in a hospital under the supervision of doctors with the appointment of medications and strict adherence to the diet.
Diagnosis of disease
If you experience suspicious symptoms, it is recommended to consult a doctor. Only a complete examination will allow you to make an accurate diagnosis. Persistent hepatitis is diagnosed withusing the following methods:
- Ultrasound examination of the liver. With exacerbation, there is an increase in tissue density, an increase in liver size. Changes can also affect the spleen.
- A blood test for biochemistry shows an increase in the activity of liver enzymes.
- The level of cholesterol in the blood shows the risk of exacerbation of hepatitis and the formation of gallstones.
After receiving the results of the examination and examination of the patient, the doctor makes a final diagnosis and prescribes therapy. If the pathology is at the initial stage of development, then it is enough to adhere to a strict diet, and aggravated hepatitis will have to be treated in a hospital using medicines.
Treatment of persistent hepatitis
Therapy of the disease involves following a diet number 5 and taking medication to eliminate the inflammatory process in the liver tissues. Let's look at these methods in more detail below.
Drug therapy
Chronic reactive persistent hepatitis is treated with the following drug groups:
- To eliminate the effects of intoxication, solutions of sodium chloride, glucose are administered intravenously.
- With reduced immunity, patients are recommended to take the drug "Timalin". The medicine is administered intramuscularly for 7-10 days. After such therapy, 75% of patients experience remission.
- If the work of phagocytic cells is reduced, then "Methyluracil" is prescribed. Before taking the pill, you need tocrush and dissolve in water, so the irritating effect on the walls of the stomach is reduced. Duration of admission - 7 days.
- It is recommended to take "Neovir" - a drug of immunocorrective action. The drug is well tolerated, as it is non-toxic and does not cause side effects.
- Excellently removes excess fat from the cells of the liver "Essentiale". As part of the drug - unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins B and E, nicotinic acid. The drug is effective in the initial stages of the disease, as well as during periods of exacerbation against the background of taking large amounts of alcohol. For patients who do not drink alcohol, the drug has little therapeutic effect.
- Vitamin preparations are prescribed to speed up metabolic processes.
- To restore the process of bile secretion, a plant-based drug "Gepabene" is prescribed.
- Patients are also advised to take drugs to improve appetite, stimulate digestion.
Persistent hepatitis is a pathology that will require long-term therapy, especially if there is also an infectious form. But there are cases of spontaneous cure without taking antiviral drugs.
Diet food
Nutrition directly affects the functioning of the liver. This can be explained by several factors:
- Digestion of fatty foods requires the release of large amounts of bile, which is produced by hepatocytes. If the organ is inflamed, thencells do not have time to recover from such an increased load.
- Alcohol and some other products are broken down in the body with the formation of toxic substances, the neutralization of which is carried out in the liver. If they accumulate in large numbers, then the liver cannot withstand such a load and toxins accumulate in its tissues.
Against the background of these factors, an exacerbation of the disease occurs. Doctors during an exacerbation and during a period of remission for the purpose of prevention recommend adhering to diet number 5. Its main principles:
- Eat often, but in small portions. It is better to divide the daily amount of food into 5-6 times.
- Control the calorie content of meals and do not consume more calories than they are consumed.
- Exclude alcohol, coffee, flour products, animal fats.
- Reduce s alt intake.
- Meals should be warm, cold and hot contribute to the disruption of the digestion process.
- Products are best consumed boiled, baked or steamed.
- Drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day, but should not be carbonated drinks.
The daily diet should contain the following foods:
- Milk and dairy products.
- Bran can be added to dishes instead of bread.
- Vegetable salad dressed with vegetable oil: soy, olive, corn.
- Cereal porridges and soups.
- Fish and lean meats.
- As carbohydrates forliver, you can eat honey or jam, but within reasonable limits.
Must be completely eliminated from the diet:
- Preservation and pickling.
- Mushrooms.
- Chocolate.
- Sweet pastries.
- Fried and greasy food.
- Alcohol.
By adhering to the principles of proper nutrition and using the drugs recommended by the doctor, you can quickly stop the acute stage of hepatitis. Following a diet for 2-3 months leads to a reduction to the natural size of the affected organ, digestion is improved, and the liver begins to function in its normal mode.
Prognosis for patients
When compared with active hepatitis, persistent hepatitis is not aggressive and has a good prognosis for patients. Almost half of patients recover completely, but on condition that they strictly adhere to the diet and take the recommended drugs.
Without a serious approach to therapy, it is likely that this form of the disease will turn into chronic active hepatitis, especially if infection with the hepatitis D virus occurs. It is necessary not to ignore the weakness, fatigue, decreased performance, mood volatility. Asthenovegetative symptoms are often accompanied by dyspeptic syndrome with bloating, nausea, and bitterness in the mouth. Such symptoms require serious examination and therapy.
Complications of the disease
Persistent hepatitis, compared with other forms of pathology, rarely provokes the development of serious complications. CanIt should be noted that patients are at risk of experiencing persistent liver pain and discomfort if they are not serious about therapy.
Always keep in mind that persistent hepatitis often accompanies other pathologies of the liver or digestive system. Therefore, a complete examination is necessary to exclude them. The role of the liver is great in our body, so without treatment, you can sit up to cirrhosis or fibrosis, and such conditions are dangerous with complete organ failure.
If the control of one's lifestyle is the work of each patient, then only a doctor should be in charge of prescribing treatment. Self-medication in such cases is fraught with disastrous consequences.
Disease prevention
Many people ask the question: is persistent hepatitis contagious or not? This form of pathology does not pose a danger to others, but this does not mean that therapy is not required. But by following simple recommendations, you can avoid the development of the disease:
- Use a condom when having casual sex to prevent contracting viral hepatitis.
- Do not decorate your body with tattoos for the same reason.
- Go to trusted medical facilities.
- Do not use other people's hygiene products, men should have their own razor, for example, on a business trip.
- Keep alcohol and drugs out of your life.
- Be active and he althy.
- Watch your weight.
- Rethink your diet and include more fresh vegetables and fruits,exclude all harmful foods, fatty and fried.
The liver is an organ that is capable of recovery, but for this it is necessary to make efforts and review the diet, lead a he althy lifestyle. Timely therapy will help to quickly cope with the symptoms of pathology and restore he alth to the body.
