Liver disease symptoms vary, depending on the underlying cause. However, there are some general symptoms that may indicate some kind of liver disease.
Hepatitis is a viral infection of your liver. It causes inflammation and liver damage, making it difficult for your liver to function as it should. All types of hepatitis are contagious, but you can reduce your risk by getting vaccinated for types A and B or taking other preventive steps, including practicing safe sex and not sharing needles.
Fat buildup in the liver can lead to fatty liver disease. Left unmanaged, both types of fatty liver disease can cause liver damage, leading to cirrhosis and liver failure. Diet and other lifestyle changes can often improve symptoms and reduce your risk of complications. Autoimmune conditions involve your immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells in your body. Several autoimmune conditions involve your immune system attacking cells and your liver, including:.
Several genetic conditions, which you inherit from one of your parents, can also affect your liver:. Liver cancers first develop in your liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma. It tends to develop as several small sports of cancer in your liver, though it can also start as a single tumor. Cirrhosis refers to scarring that results from liver diseases and other causes of liver damage, such as alcohol use disorder.
Cystic fibrosis and syphilis may also lead to liver damage and, eventually, cirrhosis. Your liver can regenerate in response to damage, but this process usually results in the development of scar tissue. The more scar tissue that develops, the harder it is for your liver to function properly. Doctors may use surgical procedures to open bile ducts that are narrowed or blocked. Diseases that damage, destroy, or block bile ducts include primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Treatment of inherited liver diseases depends on the disease. Treatment most often focuses on managing symptoms and complications. The only specific treatment for most cases of cirrhosis caused by certain medicines is to stop taking the medicine that caused the problem. Talk with your doctor before you stop taking any medicines.
Treatments for the complications of cirrhosis include the following. Doctors treat portal hypertension with medicines to lower high blood pressure in the portal vein. Treatments for the complications of portal hypertension include.
If you have a bacterial infection , your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. Your doctor may treat liver cancer with the medical procedures that remove or destroy cancer cells, such as surgery, radiation therapy , and chemotherapy. Doctors also treat liver cancer with a liver transplant.
Liver failure, also called end-stage liver disease, happens when the liver stops working. The only treatment for liver failure is a liver transplant.
Your doctor may treat other complications through changes in medicines, diet, or physical activity. Your doctor may also recommend surgery. Talk with your doctor about your risk for getting liver cancer and how often you should be checked. Your doctor will consider a liver transplant when cirrhosis leads to liver failure. Doctors consider liver transplants only after they have ruled out all other treatment options.
These small veins are not meant to carry so much blood. When overloaded with blood, these veins can balloon, leak blood or even rupture, causing life-threatening bleeding. Signs of bleeding varices include:.
Doctors can view these varices by inserting an endoscope a thin flexible tube through your mouth, down to your esophagus and stomach.
Endoscopies are very important to avoid varices from bursting and bleeding. Doctors use endoscopies to check on the varices and, if needed, band them, or tie them off, to strangle the vein and keep them from bursting. Liver cancer is cancer that begins in the cells of your liver. While several types of cancer can form in the liver, the most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma , or HCC, which begins in the main type of liver cells hepatocytes.
Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Over the last 30 years, rates of liver cancer have tripled in the United States. While most other common cancers have seen improved survival rates during this time period, liver cancer death rates have doubled.
It is very rare to develop HCC without first having cirrhosis. Because of this, when someone has been diagnosed with advanced fibrosis F3 or cirrhosis they should receive regular surveillance for liver cancer.
Finding and diagnosing liver cancer as soon as possible is essential. Early detection offers more potentially curative options, like resection where the cancer and surrounding liver tissue is removed and transplant. Learn more in our liver cancer resource center. Liver transplantation is a surgical procedure performed to remove a diseased or injured liver from one person and replace it with a whole or a portion of a healthy liver from another person, called the donor.
Since the liver is the only organ in the body able to regenerate, or grow back, a transplanted segment of a liver can grow to normal size within a few months. Often, transplanted livers are from people who were registered donors who passed away. Since the liver has such regenerative ability, however, it is possible for a living person to donate a portion of his or her liver to someone in need of a transplant. To learn more about Liver Transplantation, click here.
To learn more about living donor liver transplantation, please visit our new Living Donor Liver Transplantation Information Center. The best thing anyone can do for their health is to stay engaged in their healthcare.
Be an active member of your care team by regularly visiting your healthcare provider, undergoing routine surveillance when needed, making the most of your appointments by asking questions and learning more about your health. When possible, provide your doctor a detailed family health history to determine your own risks for liver disease. There are genetic or hereditary liver diseases that can run in families. Sometimes our genes put us at a greater risk for developing lifestyle related liver disease like Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Alcohol Related Liver Disease.
Being honest with our healthcare provider about your lifestyle is another important factor in determining risk for liver disease. Because your liver processes everything you eat, drink, breath, or absorb through our skin, it can be impacted by many different factors. Be sure your doctor knows how often you take each type of medication and review medications that may have been prescribed by another healthcare provider.
It is best to ask your healthcare provider before you begin taking any medications to be sure you are making the best choice for your health. Many medications can cause damage to the liver. Being open with your healthcare provider about your diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits is very important! Your doctor can provide you the best care when they are aware of all the factors contributing to your health.
The Progression of Liver Disease. Your liver performs essential, life-sustaining functions. Talk to your doctor about your liver and use this guide to start what may be a lifesaving conversation. The Healthy Liver. Hepatitis Inflammation. Did you know that hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver? Fibrosis Scarring. How Fibrosis Develops When someone has liver disease, their liver enters into a very dangerous cycle.
Cirrhosis Severe Scarring. The final stage of fibrosis is cirrhosis… Cirrhosis is where your liver is severely scarred and permanently damaged.
Ascites The increased pressure of portal hypertension causes fluid to seep out and pool in the abdominal cavity. Hepatic Encephalopathy Ammonia is a waste product made when our body digests protein.
Hepatorenal Syndrome The liver is the largest filter in the body but works closely with our kidneys to eliminate waste from our bodies. Jaundice Our red blood cells have a substance in them called hemoglobin which is responsible for carrying oxygen.
Varices When blood cannot flow through the portal vein into the liver it is forced to find new pathways, such as through the veins in the stomach and esophagus.
Signs of bleeding varices include: Vomiting large amounts of blood Black, tarry or bloody stools Lightheadedness Loss of consciousness in severe cases Doctors can view these varices by inserting an endoscope a thin flexible tube through your mouth, down to your esophagus and stomach. Liver Cancer. Liver Transplantation. Doctor's Visit Guide. Video Library. Progression of Liver Disease: 10 Questions about Progression Liver Disease During the last few weeks, we have asked our followers on Social Media to share their questions about the progression of liver disease and complications of advanced liver disease, like hepatorenal syndrome.
The main treatments are cutting out salt from your diet and taking a type of medicine called a diuretic, such as spironolactone or furosemide. If the fluid in your tummy becomes infected, you may need antibiotics. In severe cases, you may need to have the fluid drained from your tummy area with a tube. Cirrhosis can sometimes cause problems with your brain function encephalopathy. Symptoms include confusion, feeling sleepy, and problems concentrating. This happens because the liver is no longer able to clear toxins properly.
The main treatment for encephalopathy is lactulose syrup. This acts as a laxative and helps clear toxins from your body. You may also need to take an antibiotic called rifaximin, to prevent infection. Cirrhosis can affect your liver's ability to make your blood clot, which means there's a chance of severe bleeding if you cut yourself or have an operation or dental work. You may be given medicines, or a blood product called plasma , to prevent or treat bleeding. Talk to your doctor about your condition and the risk of bleeding before having an operation, including any dental work.
If cirrhosis progresses and your liver is severely damaged, a liver transplant may be the only treatment option. This is a major operation that involves removing your diseased liver and replacing it with a healthy liver from a donor. You will not be able to have a liver transplant if cirrhosis was caused by alcohol-related liver disease and you continue to drink alcohol.
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