Human Health - Signs Of Liver Damage You Might Not Notice

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When I ask you to mention 3 organs in your body, you will mention the brain, the heart, and of course the Kidney, we tend to see these organs as the big three and that's because these are the organs we can quickly remember but we should not forget that no organ is more important than the other as we need all of them to survive but while all our organs are prone to scaring as a result of a trauma, there is one organ that will regrow back to its previous size even if it loses 50% of its actual size without scaring, and that's the liver.

The liver performs a lot of function in the body, and although I will be mentioning them here, I want to quickly say that because I mentioned that your liver can regrow when removed up to 50% doesn't mean that the liver isn't prone to damage and there are so many things that can damage our liver but before we go that route, let's discuss the function of the liver and the number 1 function is Detoxifying substances that get into the body. The liver is the body's anti-toxic organ detoxifying harmful substances that gets into the body but this isn't all that the liver has to offer.


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The liver helps in digestion and it does this thanks to the bile which helps to breakdown or emulsifies fat in the food. As it breaks down fat, it also stores energy in form of glycogen which is then released to the body when it is needed. Also it manufactures protein while still processing nutrients. In all this, the liver is doing well to keep us alive but as great as our liver is, it can be damaged by a lot of things including alcohol which uses the liver to be inflamed in excess which leads to cirrhosis which are scar tissues in the liver. When there are more scar tissues than liver tissues, then it leads to liver failure.

Infections like hepatitis can damage the liver especially hepatitis B,C, and D, leading to chronic liver disease. Still on diseases and infections, certain conditions like autoimmune conditions can lead to liver damage and this is because the immune cells starts to see the liver as being foreign leading to inflammation which damages the body. Toxic substances like medicine, or concoction like in the case of Africa can lead to liver damage but that is not all, other things like fat buildup can also lead to liver damage, and genetics can also play a big role. Now that I have mentioned the things that can lead to liver damage, how can a person know they are having liver problems?

The body will always give signs that there is a problem or something is wrong just like your car will always show signs of a problem before it breaks down, it is left to you to identify these signs so you can get to the hospital as soon as possible. One of these signs is Jaundice which is the yellowing of the skin and the eyes, and this happens when the liver is unable to breakdown bilirubin when the red blood cells breakdown leading to buildup under the skin, and in the body.


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Liver damage can lead to fatigue, and swelling of the abdomen. A lot of people in this part of the world already see signs of liver damage through their stomach protrusion but they refer to it as Beer Stomach and a sign of good enjoyment but swelling of the abdomen can be a sign of liver damage. Pain in the upper quadrant of the abdomen where the liver is located is a good reason to visit the doctor but another reason why you should rush to the hospital is when your urine starts to look dark or brown like Lipton tea.

Going to feces, when your feces starts to look very yellowish for a very long time like it just bleached even when you did not change diet, then there is a big problem because the liver is probably not producing bile. While it is a sign of liver damage, it is important to visit the hospital because it can be a sign of many other conditions. Other signs can be Pruritus (body itching), swelling of the legs and other parts of the body, Easy bruising, loss of appetite, and spider angioma where veins start to look like spiders or lightening strike.

When you notice any of these signs, it is advisable to visit the hospital before it becomes worse. The earlier it is done, the better. Also, if the toxins that were not detoxified in the liver gets to the brain, they can lead to Hepatic encephalopathy leading to neurological problems. It is important to always check your health because if it is caught early it is easy to treat.

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