Liver disease: NHS Doctor talks about link with alcohol
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One of the main functions of the liver is to filter blood coming from the digestive tract before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and digests drugs the body ingests. When there is too much fat in the liver this process is halted, and a number of warning symptoms ensue.
Alcohol-related liver disease is associated with heavy drinking over several years.
You can have fatty liver disease on its own, or it can accompany a hepatitis C infection.
If you have hepatitis C your chances of developing fatty liver disease is higher than developing the disease by itself.
According to the data, about 50 percent of people with hepatitis C also have fatty liver disease.
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The initial stages of hepatitis often bring flu-like symptoms, including digestive discomfort.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include flu-like symptoms, such as fever, nausea, loss of appetite, and diarrhoea.
Hepatitis A may also cause jaundice, a condition that makes the skin and eyes look yellow and causes stool to become light in colour and urine to become dark.
Cirrhosis is the presence of scar tissue in the liver, the largest solid organ in your body.
The early signs of cirrhosis are often subtle, making it likely to go undetected for several years.
Later, it can cause flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
In later stages it can cause malnutrition, swelling in the legs or abdomen, and jaundice.
Other less common symptoms of fatty liver disease include:
- Fever and shivering attacks
- Tiny red lines (blood capillaries) on the skin above waist level
- Loss of sex drive (libido)
- Difficulty maintaining weight
- In women, abnormal periods
- In men, enlarged breasts, a swollen scrotum or shrunken testicles.
Apart from reducing the amount of alcohol consumed, losing weight and exercising are key factors for reducing your risk.
Bupa explains: “This can reverse some of the build-up of fat and even some of the fibrosis in your liver.”
The health body adds that it’s important not to lose weight too quickly though, because this could cause problems with your liver.
“Exercise will help you to lose any excess weight you may have. It may also help to reduce damage to your liver even if you don’t successfully lose any weight.”
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