Liver disease
Overview
There are many different types of liver disease. You can help prevent some of them by maintaining a healthy weight and staying within the recommended alcohol limits, if you drink.
Symptoms
Most types of liver disease do not cause any symptoms in the early stages. Once you start to get symptoms of liver disease, your liver is already damaged and scarred. This is known ascirrhosis. Symptoms of cirrhosis include: feeling very tired and weak all the timeloss of appetite – which may lead to weight lossloss of sex drive (libido)yellow skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)itchy skinfeeling or being sick
Causes
Obesity (fatty liver); Hepatitis (viral); Alcohol; Genetics (Haemochromatosis). Cirrhosis (scarring).
Treatment
Treatment for liver disease depends on the type you have and how severe it is. Healthy lifestyle changes can help with some types of liver disease. For example, alcohol-related liver disease may improve if you stop drinking alcohol. Some types of liver disease (such as certain types of hepatitis) may need to be treated with medicine. If you have severe liver damage and scarring (cirrhosis), you may need a liver transplant.
Prevention
The 3 main causes of liver disease are: obesityan undiagnosedhepatitisinfectionalcohol misuse You can reduce your risk of many types of liver disease with some simple lifestyle changes such as: trying to maintain a healthy weightnot drinking too much alcohol Vaccines are available forhepatitis Aandhepatitis B. These are recommended if you're at risk. You do not have to drink an excessive amount of alcohol to risk damaging your health. Regularly drinking just over the recommended levels can be harmful.
When to see a doctor
See GP if: persistent vomiting; yellow skin/eyes; swollen tummy; dark urine. Urgent: vomiting blood.