Overview
Acute liver failure is defined as the loss of liver function that happens suddenly — within days or weeks — in a person who does not have any prior liver disease. A hepatitis virus or medicines like acetaminophen are the most prevalent causes. Acute liver failure is rarer than chronic liver failure, which takes longer to develop.
Acute liver failure, sometimes called fulminant hepatic failure, can lead to significant complications such as excessive bleeding and increased head pressure. It’s a medical emergency that necessitates admission to the hospital.
Acute liver failure can occasionally be treated and reversed, depending on the reason. However, in many cases, a liver transplant may be the only option.
Overview
Damage to the liver from years of excessive drinking causes alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD). Alcohol misuse can cause the liver to swell and become inflamed over time. Cirrhosis is a scarring condition caused by liver injury. Cirrhosis is the most advanced form of liver disease.
ARLD is a significant public health issue. Approximately 8% to 10% of Americans consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Ten to fifteen percent of people will develop ARLD. Women who consume more than eight alcoholic beverages per week are considered heavy drinkers, while males who drink more than 15 are considered heavy drinkers.
Excessive alcohol use has a number of negative repercussions, including liver damage. This is particularly dangerous because liver failure is deadly. Learn how to avoid and manage this life-threatening disease.
Signs/Symptoms
The symptoms of ARLD depend on the stage of the disease. There are three stages:
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Acute alcoholic hepatitis
- Alcoholic cirrhosis
Some patients with ARLD do not have symptoms until the disease has progressed. Others begin to show symptoms early. ARLD symptoms include:
- nausea
- loss of appetite
- jaundice
- fatigue
- abdominal discomfort
- increased thirst
- swelling in the legs and abdomen
- weight loss
Causes
ARLD is induced by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. The more you drink in excess of the recommended amounts, the more likely you are to develop ARLD.
Treatment
The treatment of ARLD involves two objectives.
- The first is to assist you in quitting drinking. This can help mend the liver and prevent additional damage, Apollo medics provides professional help for de-addiction.
- The second step is to improve the health of your liver.
When to seek a doctor?
If you think you have a drinking problem or are at risk for liver disease, talk to our doctor. They can recommend you to programs that can help you stop drinking and enhance your liver’s health. Unfortunately , liver disease due to alcohol is diagnosed at a late stage and liver transplant after abstinence is most often required for cure.
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Overview
Hepatitis is a condition in which the liver becomes inflamed as a result of toxins, alcohol abuse, immunological illnesses, or infection. The majority of hepatitis cases are caused by viruses.
Hepatitis A is a kind of hepatitis caused by the hepatitis A virus’s infection (HAV) or (HEV). This is a kind of acute (short-term) hepatitis that normally does not require treatment.
Symptoms/ Signs
When children under the age of six catch the virus, they usually show no symptoms. Mild symptoms appear in older children, teens, and adults, and can include:
- flu-like symptoms (fever, fatigue, body aches)
- jaundice
- loss of appetite
- abdominal pain (especially in the right upper quadrant)
- light-colored stool
- unexplained weight loss
Causes
Hepatitis A can be contracted by:
- Consuming food cooked by someone infected with the hepatitis A virus
- Eating food prepared by someone who don’t wash their hands well before touching food that you consume
- Uncooked shellfish infected with sewage
- If not using condoms, when having sex with someone who has the hepatitis A virus
- Consuming contaminated water
Treatment
Hepatitis A does not have a formal treatment. Treatment is usually focused on decreasing your symptoms because it’s a short-term viral infection that goes away on its own.
Hepatitis A symptoms normally start to get better after a few weeks of rest. You should do the following to alleviate your symptoms:
- Maintain a Heathy Diet
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Avoid alcohol
When to seek a doctor?
If you have hepatitis, It is necessary to seek a doctor at the earliest for early diagnosis and prevention. Within two weeks of exposure to hepatitis A, getting a hepatitis A vaccine or an injection of immunoglobulin (an antibody) may protect you from infection.
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Overview
The hepatitis B virus causes a dangerous liver infection known as hepatitis B. (HBV). Hepatitis B infection can develop chronic in certain patients, meaning it lasts longer than six months. Chronic hepatitis B increases your chances of getting liver failure, cancer, or cirrhosis, a condition in which the liver scars permanently.
Signs/Symptoms
Hepatitis B signs and symptoms may include:
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Dark urine
- Weakness and fatigue
Causes
The hepatitis B virus causes hepatitis B infection (HBV). The virus is transmitted from one person to another via blood, sperm, or other bodily fluids. It is not spread by coughing or sneezing.
HBV can be disseminated in a variety of ways, including:
- Mother to child
- Sexual contact
- Accidental needle sticks
- Sharing of needles and syringes
Treatment
Your healthcare practitioner will treat you according to whether you have acute or chronic hepatitis B.
Infections with acute hepatitis B You won’t need medical treatment if you acquire an acute (short-term) variant of the ailment. Instead, your doctor would probably advise you to get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and eat a balanced diet to help your body battle the illness or infection.
Chronic hepatitis B infections
Chronic Hepatitis B infections can lead to cirrhosis, Liver failure and liver cancer for which liver transplant is a definitive cure. You’ll need to be checked for early indicators of liver damage and cancer on a frequent basis. Once or twice a year, your healthcare professional will want to see you.
When to seek a doctor?
If you suspect you’ve been exposed to hepatitis B, see your doctor as soon as possible. If you obtain a preventive treatment within 24 hours after being exposed to the virus, you may lower your risk of infection.
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Overview
Hepatitis C is a liver infection that can cause permanent damage to the liver. Hepatitis C is the virus that causes it. The condition affects around 2.4 million people in the United States. However, because it has minimal symptoms, the majority of people are unaware. The virus is transmitted by the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person.
Signs/Symptoms
Hepatitis C affects a large number of persons who have no symptoms. However, you may notice the following symptoms between 2 weeks and 6 months after the virus has entered your bloodstream:
- Fever
- Dark Urine
- Joint pain
- Jaundice
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
Causes
When blood or body fluids contaminated with the hepatitis C virus enter your bloodstream as a result of contact with an infected individual, hepatitis C spreads.
The virus can infect you via a variety of sources, including:
- A mother can pass it on to her child during birth.
- Sharing needles and injectable medicines
- Having sex, particularly if you have HIV or another STD, multiple partners, or rough sex
- Getting a tattoo or piercing with dirty instruments
- Personal care goods such as toothbrushes, razor blades, and nail clippers should be shared.
Treatment
Chronic Hepatitis C infections can lead to cirrhosis, Liver failure and liver cancer for which liver transplant is a definitive cure.
Antiviral medications are used to treat viruses.
Antiviral medicines used to treat hepatitis C infection and help the virus leave your body. The goal of treatment is to have no traces of the hepatitis C virus in your body for at least 12 weeks after you finish it.
Liver Transplantation
Liver transplantation may be a possibility if you’ve experienced major problems from chronic hepatitis C infection. The surgeon removes your dysfunctional liver and replaces it with a healthy liver during a liver transplant. The majority of liver transplants come from deceased donors, although a small proportion comes from living donors who give a part of their liver.
Vaccinations
Although there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, your doctor would most likely advise you to get vaccines for hepatitis A and B. These are two different viruses that can cause liver damage and make chronic hepatitis C more difficult to be treated.
When to seek a doctor?
You know when you are suffering from any of the above symptoms there is a need to consult a doctor. When consulted under 24 Hours, the treatment will be provided at its best.
Request a Consultation at Apollo Medics Super Specialty Hospital Lucknow
Overview
Cancer is a disease that occurs when abnormal cells grow too quickly and obstruct the regular cells’ ability to function.
There are two classifications for liver cancer. The term “primary liver cancer” refers to cancer that begins in the tissue of the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent type of primary liver cancer. In the United States, the number of instances of primary liver cancer has risen steadily over time.
Cancer that began in another part of the body and spread to the liver is known as secondary liver cancer. Metastatic liver cancer is another name for this form of disease.
Signs/Symptoms
In the early stages of liver cancer, you may have no symptoms. You may have the following symptoms if your liver is swollen: You could have:
- Bloating
- Dark color urine
- Jaundice
- Unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
- A lump below the rib cage or pain on the right side of the abdomen, or pain near the right shoulder
Causes
Hepatitis and other liver illnesses can lead to liver cancer. Cirrhosis raises your risk as well. Some persons with liver cancer, on the other hand, do not have any other liver problems. In many circumstances, the root of the problem is unknown.
Treatment
If you have liver cancer, your treatment and prognosis (or probability of recovery) may be affected by a number of factors. These factors include your overall health, the function of your liver, the stage of your cancer, and your alpha-fetoprotein levels.
At Apollo Medics Hospital Lucknow, we offer the following treatment options for liver cancer:
- Liver transplant surgery: A surgical procedure in which the complete liver is replaced with a healthy donor liver. This is the definitive cure for liver cancer with least recurrence rates but the decision to transplant should be left to the treating team. There are two types of it:
- Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation (DDLT): In this procedure, the patient’s diseased liver is replaced with a healthy liver from a deceased donor.
- LDLT (Living Donor Liver Transplantation): In this procedure, a patient with a damaged liver receives a portion of their liver from a family member or friend. The patient’s diseased liver is replaced with a healthy one, which develops to its usual size over time.
- Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill or prevent cancer cells from replicating. Chemotherapy can have a systemic effect (pills or injections that travel through the entire body).
- Transarterial chemotherapy (TACE)- It is a non-surgical and minimally invasive procedure which is an effective way of removing tumor burden in case of surgery.
- Targeted Therapy – Drugs that target cancer genes or tissues are referred to as targeted therapy. Chemotherapy is not the same as targeted therapy.
- Radiotherapy destroys cancer cells and shrinks tumors by using high-powered energy from sources such as X-rays and protons. Doctors carefully direct the energy to the liver while protecting the good tissue in the surrounding area. You lie on a table during an external beam radiation therapy treatment, and a machine directs energy beams at a particular place on your body.
- Immunotherapy- Drugs that guide the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells are known as immunotherapy. It, too, is not the same as chemotherapy.
