Early Intervention of Common Liver Diseases
Many liver diseases are very treatable if found early. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is now one of the most common liver diseases in the world and is very amenable to lifestyle changes in early stages, especially weight loss, dietary change and increased physical activity. It can progress to NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), cirrhosis and liver failure if left untreated.
Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that can have long-term consequences for the liver, but they are now treatable with highly effective antiviral medications. In particular, hepatitis C is curable in more than 95% of cases with modern direct-acting antivirals – so early detection and liver treatment in Chennai can be life-saving indeed.
The time factor in the progression of liver disease
Most liver disease will go through a series of 4 stages .
- Inflammation .
- Fibrosis ( scarring )
- Cirrhosis
- Liver failure .
Each stage causes increasingly permanent damage. The sooner the treatment is started, the better the chances of stopping or even reversing the disease process.
Interventions at the level of inflammation can often restore the liver to near normal function. Most of the damage is permanent once cirrhosis has occurred and management changes from cure to prevention of complications.
Signs Of Warning
The problem with liver disease is that it’s often “silent” in the early stages. Many patients are asymptomatic until they develop advanced liver disease. Early signs are fatigue, some pain in the upper right part of the stomach, loss of appetite, nausea and dark urine and all unexplained.
If you have risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, heavy alcohol use, family history of liver disease or history of blood transfusions, even without symptoms, regular liver function tests are essential.
New Treatments for the Liver
Today, the treatment options in hepatology depend on the cause and the stage of liver disease. The existing tool kit includes antiviral therapy for hepatitis, dietary and pharmacological approach for fatty liver, immunosuppressive therapy for autoimmune hepatitis and interventional procedures for portal hypertension complications.
For patients with advanced disease, liver transplantation is still an option and results are much better when patients are in relatively good overall health at the time of transplant.
How Lifestyle Affects Liver Healing
Medical treatment is most effective along with lifestyle changes. Such changes in lifestyle are: • Cutting back on alcohol consumption • Keeping a healthy weight • Having a healthy diet low in saturated fat and processed foods • Diabetes management • Get regular exercise All of these directly support liver health and boost the efficacy of medical treatment.
Liver disease is serious, but far from hopeless, especially when diagnosed and treated early. The liver is a wonderful organ in its ability to regenerate if it is given the right support in time.
The Hepatology unit at GEM Hospital provides expert diagnosis and management of all liver diseases ranging from fatty liver and viral hepatitis to advanced cirrhosis and transplant evaluation. For liver treatment in Chennai, the multidisciplinary team takes an integrated patient-centric approach to ensure the best recovery. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for a liver health consultation.