Types of Liver Problems, Causes of Liver Damage, Symptoms of Liver Function Problem

Your liver is a vital organ, as in you can’t live without it. Located just under your rib cage on the right, any problem with its function can cause a broad range of health consequences.

Your liver has many functions, for instance it is responsible for:

  • making important proteins
  • producing urea, cholesterol
  • converting glucose to glycogen
  • metabolizing many medications
  • manufacturing bile ~ helps digest fat
  • helps break down, recycle red blood cells
  • maintaining proper glucose level in bloodstream
  • filtering your blood to get rid of toxic substances
  • storing iron, copper, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12

Various types of  liver problems can have a significant impact on these functions. Liver problem types include:

Some types of liver problems are only temporary and resolve on their own. Yet, other types last a long time or may be permanent, which can lead to some serious health complications.

Liver damage occurs when your liver can no longer function properly. For example, some causes of liver damage can result in scar tissue to build up. With this type of damage, your liver may have difficulty performing its cleansing and detoxifying functions.

Some of the causes of liver damage encompass:

Certain chemicals are so toxic that a single exposure can cause liver damage to the extent of failure.

Viral infections can be a cause of liver damage, particularly severe upper respiratory tract infections or influenza. Some viruses of liver damaging concern are:

Certain parasitic infections can cause liver damage as well, such as:

Since all drugs pass through your liver, they have the potential to injure your liver or cause further liver damage to a preexisting liver problem. There are many different drugs that cause drug-induced hepatitis, just to mention a few:

Essentially all OTC pain relievers can cause some damage to your liver, especially if taken frequently or combined with alcohol. And on rare occasions, oral contraceptives can cause liver damage too.

Some herbal supplements can be harmful to your liver and the herbs considered most damaging to your liver are:

Symptoms of liver problems or damage include:

And symptoms and signs your liver may be failing are:

Seek immediate health care attention if your abdominal pain symptom is too severe to function.

You might be able to prevent liver problems or damage by consciously protecting your liver. A couple of healthy liver behaviors to abide by are:

  • drink alcohol in moderation or not at all
  • use condoms with multiple sex partners
  • only use drugs when medically necessary
  • no contact with strangers blood & body fluids
  • get vaccinated if at increased risk of hepatitis A & B
  • have tattoos, body piercings done in clean environment
  • don’t share needles, personal items like razor blades, toothbrushes
  • never mix drugs, alcohol & herbal supplements without doctor advice
  • don’t allow insecticides & other toxic chemicals on skin, cover with gloves, long sleeves, hat & mask
  • use an aerosol cleaners, spraying insecticides, fungicides, paint & other toxic chemicals in well ventilated room or wear mask

And make choices that promote your health, like consuming a nutritious diet of plants, say no to high fat foods and maintain a healthy weight.

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