Liver Disease: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Are you aware that liver disease is a chronic illness responsible for 2 million deaths every year? Not just that, it also makes up for 4% deaths globally. As you may know,  the liver functions to filter out toxins, process nutrients, and produce bile pigments for digestion. But when it stops functioning properly, the problem can worsen fast. That’s why early detection is crucial. ^{1, 2}

In this article, we will explore liver disease in detail — from its symptoms to its causes and treatment options, so you can take the necessary steps to protect your health.

What Exactly Is Liver Disease?

Liver disease is a general term for any condition that harms this vital organ. But why does it matter? Because the liver is one of the essential working organs in your body. It filters out toxins, processes the food you eat, stores energy, and makes bile (a pigment that helps you digest fats).^{2, 3, 4}

And when an infection spreads, or you consume too much alcohol, or fat builds up, the liver can get damaged. This can lead to different problems, from frequent tiredness to liver failure, which can be life-threatening.^{2, 3, 4} Want to know how liver disease gets worse over time? Continue reading!

Understanding The Stages of Liver Disease

Liver disease doesn’t show up all at once — it builds up slowly over time. If not treated early, it can lead to complete liver failure. Here’s how:

Stage 1: Inflammation 

This is where it all starts. The liver becomes inflamed, usually because of infections, toxins, or other things stressing it out. This inflammation is called hepatitis. You probably won’t feel any symptoms yet, because your liver is still doing its job. But if treated early, the liver can fully recover and reverse at this stage.²

Stage 2: Fibrosis 

If the inflammation sticks around too long, your liver starts forming scar tissue — this is called fibrosis. As more scar tissue builds up, it becomes harder for your liver to keep functioning properly.²

Stage 3: Cirrhosis  

In cirrhosis, there’s a lot of scarring, and the liver can’t repair itself anymore. But with the right treatment, you can slow down the damage, even if it can’t be reversed.²

Stage 4: End Stage Of Liver 

At this point, the liver has taken too much damage and has completely stopped functioning. This stage is often called liver failure. When this happens, your body struggles to filter out waste, digest food, or manage other basic functions. The only option left to survive is getting a liver transplant.² That said, let’s now look at the early signs of liver disease next.

What Are The Early Symptoms Of Liver Disease?

Liver disease doesn’t always shout when it starts — sometimes, it just whispers. The signs are often subtle, and it’s easy to brush them off as something else. So to help you catch them early, here are a few early red flags to watch out for:^{2, 5}

• Feeling tired all the time, even after adequate rest
• A drop in appetite or a loss of interest in food
• Nausea that hangs around for no apparent reason
• A dull ache or pressure on the upper right side of your belly
• Darker-than-usual urine
• Pale or clay-coloured stools
• Frequent weight loss 

How Do Symptoms Change In The Later Stages?

At the later stages, you'll start noticing more obvious signs. These may include:

Yellowing of the skin & eyes (Jaundice): When the liver can’t process waste properly, you may notice a yellow tint in the skin or the whites of eyes.^{6, 7}

Swollen stomach: Fluid can build up in the belly, making it feel tight and uncomfortable.⁸

Swollen legs, feet, & hands: You may notice the legs, ankles, or feet puffing up from fluid retention.²

Easy bruising & bleeding: When the liver can’t produce certain proteins, it becomes harder for the blood to clot, leading to bruises or excessive bleeding.²

Confusion & memory problems: As toxins build up in the blood, they can affect the brain, causing confusion or trouble concentrating.⁹

Spider Angiomas: Small, red veins that look like spider webs can appear on the skin, especially around the chest or face.²

Liver Failure: Serious Complications To Watch For

As liver disease progresses, serious complications can arise in the body, including:

Portal Hypertension

As liver damage builds up, blood becomes harder to pass through it. This causes pressure to rise in the main vein that carries blood to the liver. When this happens, nearby veins — especially in the stomach or esophagus — can swell and may burst, leading to internal bleeding. This is one of the more common complications in people with cirrhosis.²

Liver Cancer

Liver failure can spiral into something far worse, like hepatocellular carcinoma. This is the most common type of liver cancer that usually develops after years of scarring and damage.²

What Puts Your Liver at Risk?

Here are the causes behind severe liver disease:

1. Too Much Alcohol

Your liver can handle a drink or two. But when alcohol becomes a daily habit, trouble starts brewing. Over time, it leads to fatty deposits, then scarring (cirrhosis), and eventually, liver failure.²

2. Fat Buildup

You don’t need alcohol to get liver disease. People with obesity, insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes also battle this disease. That’s because the fat slowly piles up in the liver and causes inflammation over time, thereby leading to scarring. This long-term scarring of the liver is similar to the damage associated with cancer.²

3. Silent Infections

Hepatitis B and C often show no symptoms. But they are the top culprits behind liver disease. Infections from hepatitis viruses can harm your liver in the long term. If left untreated, it can further lead to life-threatening diseases, such as cancer.²

4. Inherited Problems

Some liver conditions don’t come from lifestyle choices—they’re written in your genes. Medical conditions, like hemochromatosis (iron overload) or Wilson’s disease (copper imbalance), slowly poison liver health. They gradually disrupt the normal metabolism of the body. If left undiagnosed, such diseases can cause severe liver damage, increasing the risk of cancer.²

Who Is More At Risk of Getting Liver Disease?

People at higher risk of chronic liver disease include those who:^{2, 10, 11}

• Are overweight or have diabetes
• Have a family history of liver conditions
• Drink alcohol too often & too much
• Engage in unprotected sex
• Adopt poor lifestyle choices

Now that you know the risk factors, let’s take a look at how liver disease is diagnosed.

How Is Liver Disease Diagnosed?

To diagnose liver disease, your doctor might suggest:^{2, 12}

• blood tests
• an ultrasound, MRI, or
• even a biopsy (where a small tissue sample is tested for infection)

This will help the doctor to rule out the cause and plan for suitable treatment. 

Important Tips To Keep Your Liver Healthy 

Now, let’s check out some simple tips to keep your liver in top shape:

Eat Right 

Do you know that consuming junk food has a negative impact on the liver? To keep up with your liver health, always eat home-cooked and nutritious foods.¹²

Stay Active 

Nowadays, many people work entirely from home. In short, they have maintained a sedentary lifestyle, which can only lead to fat buildup around the stomach. Thus, excess fat buildup over time can cause liver scarring. That is why it is recommended to move your body around, do some exercise, or simply dance. This will improve blood flow to the body and prevent fat accumulation ¹³

However, despite taking all the right steps, some liver diseases can progress silently. So, what do you do when medication and lifestyle changes are not enough?

Is A Liver Transplant The Only Last Treatment?

If the liver isn’t functioning despite medications and lifestyle changes, doctors may suggest a liver transplant with a healthy one from a donor. It’s a big step, but for many, it’s a second chance at life.¹²

Conclusion

Liver disease doesn’t always come with a warning—it can affect anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle. But with healthy lifestyle choices and regular health checks, you can beat the disease. And that's where our Ayushman Vital health package comes to play. It offers a comprehensive range of tests, including the Kidney Function Test (KFT) and other essential tests.

To book the test or to learn more, call 8046985101/8061970525.