Liver Disease Specialist

What is liver disease?

Liver disease is a general term for disorders affecting your liver, a large organ that plays a vital role in digestion and helps clear toxins from your body. Types of liver disease include:

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a broad term for inflammation of the liver. Liver inflammation has various causes, but the most likely are viral infections hepatitis A, B, and C.

Fatty liver disease

There are two forms of fatty liver disease, where your liver has large stores of fat that reduce its ability to function properly. One type affects people who have alcoholism, and the other is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Both types can cause inflammation and scarring of the liver.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the liver is where you have severe scarring that's irreversible. Excessive alcohol consumption is the most well-known cause, but cirrhosis can also result from advanced hepatitis and fatty liver disease.

What symptoms does liver disease cause?

Liver disease may not cause any symptoms, especially in the early days of its development. You might have liver disease and be unaware there's a problem until the damage to your liver reaches a serious stage.

When liver disease symptoms are present, they might include:

• Loss of appetite
• Chronic fatigue
• Abdominal swelling
• Swollen ankles
• Abdominal pain
• Itchy skin
• Pale-colored stools
• Nausea and vomiting

One of the tell-tale symptoms of liver disease is jaundice. If you have jaundice, your skin develops a yellow tinge, which is particularly noticeable in the whites of your eyes. Not having jaundice doesn’t mean you don’t have liver disease.

How is liver disease diagnosed?

If you visit GI Specialists of Houston, LLP, with symptoms of liver disease, your provider conducts a careful exam, reviews your medical history, and discusses your symptoms with you.

Next, they run diagnostic tests to confirm the underlying cause of your symptoms. A blood draw and imaging tests such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI scan are most likely.

In some cases, you might need a liver biopsy to determine the type of liver disease and assess the condition of your liver. A biopsy involves extracting a tiny sample of liver tissue for laboratory analysis.

How is liver disease treated?

The treatment that's most effective depends on which type of liver disease you have.

Fatty liver disease could improve if you make lifestyle changes like quitting alcohol or losing weight, especially when diagnosed early enough.

Hepatitis B and C are treatable with medication – there's also a vaccine to protect you against hepatitis B.  

Liver disease often requires long-term management, but you could avoid the complications it can cause with the right care. For expert treatment of liver disease, call GI Specialists of Houston, LLP, today or book an appointment online.