Liver Disease

Liver is a complex organ with more than 500 functions. Liver diseases are not just limited to alcohol. Over the last two decades, liver diseases besides alcohol have been considered as a cause for liver failure. The list below is just to name a few.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease	Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease
Viral Hepatitis	Metabolic liver disease
Autoimmune hepatitis	Drug induced liver injury
Vascular liver disease	Congenital liver disease
Primary biliary cholangitis	Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Infectious liver disease	Granulomatous liver disease

Fatty Liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease in India and worldwide. Alcohol related liver disease is constant through these years while viral hepatitis thanks to good treatment availability is decreasing.

These liver diseases can present as any of the following manner.

1. Asymptomatic – Incidental finding on investigations
2. Acute hepatitis with or without jaundice
3. Acute Liver failure
4. Chronic hepatitis
5. Cirrhosis of liver
6. Acute on chronic liver failure
7. Liver cancer
8. Rarely extra hepatic manifestations of liver disease

The routine clinical symptoms of liver disease unlike popular perception is not indigestion of food but is based type of hepatitis. Jaundice is not a disease but a symptom of liver disease and not all liver disease produce jaundice. Jaundice in some situations is early like in chronic hepatitis while it is late in chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis of liver. Cirrhosis of liver presents with ascites or swelling of legs and very commonly with blood in stools or blood in vomit.

The investigations required for liver diseases are not limited to few basic reports. The doctor advises multitude of tests like complete blood count, full liver profile, viral markers, autoimmune or metabolic markers. Special tests for fibrosis may be advised. A sonography or a CT scan of liver may be requested. Fibroscan or liver elastography is usually carried out. Liver biopsy is rarely requested as certain diseases can only be confirmed on liver biopsy. Since liver disease is usually multi system disease the tests for heart, lungs, kidney, brain may be occasionally asked for. Also, cholesterol, thyroid, diabetes is simultaneously tested.

The treatment of liver disease is based on clinical diagnosis. The underlying risk factor and aetiology are treated. Many times, liver supportive and nutritional supplements are needed to help liver recover. Although more than 5000 liver tonics or liver detox are available in the market, there is no evidence that they work but on the contrary, there is enough evidence that it may have side effects.

We provide comprehensive liver care services and help manage above diseases with utmost care. Getting you and your relatives understand these disease with simple language and making sure that we have goal driven activities for not just treatment of these disease but also prevention and progression of liver complications.