Prevention:

TIPS FOR LIVER CARE

Keeping your Liver Healthy: Know the A-B-C

The best way to prevent alcohol-related liver

disease is to drink limited alcohol. It is important to

discuss with your doctor how much alcohol is safe for

you. Patients who have had an alcohol related liver

problem should not drink alcohol at all.

� Have a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet and regular

exercise)

� Avoid fatty foods, excess cheese and fried food.

Reduce oil during cooking,

� Maintain a healthy weight

� Limit the amount of alcohol You Drink. Talk to your

doctor about how much alcohol is right for you

� Do not take herbal medicines without asking your

doctor

� Avoid unnecessary medicines. Talk to a doctor or

pharmacist about the medicines you are taking. Some

medicines harm the liver especially if the liver already

diseased

� Do not take vitamins or other nutritional products in

high quantities.

� Limit direct contact with toxins from cleaning and

aerosol products, insecticides, and chemicals

� Do not smoke

A:Avoid Hepatitis, Know Facts, Take precautions

B:Be careful of what you eat, drink. Be careful of

medications

C:Consult your Doctor for information, testing, treatment

& vaccination

� Checking for Hepatitis B infection in all pregnant

ladies

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a chronic liver disease that is usually silent in

its early stages. Over years it can lead to liver cirrhosis and

liver cancer.

There is no vaccine to prevent Hepatitis C.

The only way to prevent Hepatitis C is to avoid direct

contact with infected blood. Other ways to stop the

spread of Hepatitis C are:

� Practicing safe sex

� Not sharing razors, toothbrushes, or other personal

items

� Avoiding reuse of needles for tattoos, ear and nose

piercings

� Making sure blood is checked properly before

transfusion

Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease is the accumulation of fat in the liver. It

usually occurs in people who drink alcohol. It is also very

common in people who are overweight, eat oily and junk

food or in those with diabetes. It can cause the liver to get

enlarged. It may not cause any symptoms and can be

detected only of you a general blood test or ultrasound

scan of liver. Over years it can lead to cirrhosis in some

patients.

Ways to prevent fatty liver disease are:

Eating a healthy diet

Maintaining a healthy weight

Exercising regularly

Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink

Maintaining a normal cholesterol level

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

Alcohol-related liver disease is caused by drinking too

much alcohol. It causes fat accumulation in the liver and

causes the liver to swell. It can cause alcoholic hepatitis

with jaundice that can be fatal. About 20 to 30 percent of

heavy alcohol drinkers develop liver cirrhosis.

Prevention:

Prevention:

Institute of Liver, Pancreas Diseases& Organ Transplantation

Know the facts...

Liver Care

Global Hospitals6-1-1070/1to4, Lakdi-ka-pul,Hyderabad - 500 004.Ph: +91 40 2324 4444 (10 lines)

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And other services

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www.globalhospitalsindia.com

Prof. Mohammed Rela, MBBS, MS, FRCS (Edinburgh)Head of Multi-organ Transplantation and HPB SurgeryGlobal Hospitals Group

THE HYDERABAD TEAMDr. Dharmesh Kapoor (Transplant Hepatologist)Dr. Balbir Singh (Transplant and HPB Surgeon)

Why is the liver important?

Where is my liver?

Why should I worry about taking care

of my liver?

What are the symptoms of liver disease?

The liver is the largest internal organ in your body. The liver

has a lot of vital functions. The liver is necessary for

survival and there is currently no way to compensate for

the absence of the liver.

� It produces bile, a mixture of chemicals, which help in

digestion.

� It helps in breaking down food to turn it into energy.

� The liver also acts as a filter and removes harmful

substances from your blood.

� It makes chemicals that help in fighting infection.

� It makes chemicals that are important for blood

clotting.

� It stores iron, vitamins and other essential substances.

The liver is located under your rib cage

on the right side. It weighs about 1.5 kg

and is triangular in shape.

The liver is one of the most important organs in the body

and all other organ functions are dependent on a well

functioning liver. Many dietary and environmental factors

lead to liver disease. Liver disease is on the rise and about

one out of every 10 Indians is affected by a liver problem.

Liver disease is usually silent and does not produce any

specific symptoms until it gets advanced. Many early

symptoms of liver disease like loss of appetite, fatigue,

nausea and weakness are attributed to other causes and

thus liver disease may be missed.

Early and mild liver disease usually does not cause any

symptoms. As liver disease progresses one can develop

the following symptoms:

� Fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite

� Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

� Fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites) and feet

(edema)

� Bleeding tendency (nose and gums)

� Gastrointestinal bleeding (vomiting of blood,

passing blood in stools)

� Persistent itching of the skin

� Sleep disturbance or mental confusion

What is Acute Hepatitis?

Acute Hepatitis is inflammation or swelling of the liver as

a result of infection or toxic injury to the liver. The most

common causes of acute hepatitis are hepatitis viruses

(A, B, C, E), alcohol, certain medications, and herbal

drugs. Symptoms of acute hepatitis include loss of

appetite, nausea, abdominal pain and jaundice. Most

patients with acute hepatitis recover completely in a few

weeks. However, severe cases may progress to liver

failure which is a life threatening condition.

What is Chronic Hepatitis?

Inflammation or swelling of the liver that lasts more than

six months is known as Chronic Hepatitis. Common

causes of chronic hepatitis are Hepatitis B virus,

Hepatitis C virus and alcohol. Patients with chronic

hepatitis may have very few symptoms like loss of

appetite and fatigue. Chronic hepatitis may progress to

cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver if it is not diagnosed and

treated properly.

What is Cirrhosis?

Normal liver has a smooth surface and is soft to feel.

Cirrhosis is the scarring of the liver - hard scar tissue

replaces soft healthy tissue. As cirrhosis becomes

worse, liver failure develops. Any long standing liver

disease such as alcohol, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and

fatty liver disease can cause cirrhosis. It usually takes

many years for liver damage to lead to cirrhosis.

Recognizing liver diseases early and treating them can

thus prevent development of cirrhosis.

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

Fatty liver disease is the accumulation of fat in the liver. It

usually occurs in people who drink alcohol. It is also

Medical terminology for common liver problems

very common in people who are overweight, eat oily

and junk food or in those with diabetes. Except for liver

enlargement, it may not cause any symptoms. Over

years it can lead to cirrhosis in some patients.

What is Liver Failure?

This is the term used when the liver is unable to perform

its functions. The most important symptoms are

jaundice, mental confusion and bleeding tendency.

Some patients with acute hepatitis can develop liver

failure within a short period of days to weeks. Others

with progressive liver disease like cirrhosis develop liver

failure after several years. The only way to treat liver

failure is by liver transplantation.

What is Hepatocellular Cancer?

It is the medical term for liver cancer. Patients who have

liver cirrhosis are at risk of developing liver cancer. It is

more common in those who have hepatitis B or C

infection. Stopping alcohol and treating hepatitis B and

C can prevent liver cancer. Small liver cancers may not

produce any symptoms and can be treated effectively if

detected early. It is thus important for patients with

cirrhosis to do regular checks to detect small cancers.

Liver disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the

India. There are more than 100 types of liver diseases.

Below are some of the most common liver diseases,

and ways you can help prevent them and keep your liver

healthy.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A

virus. Hepatitis A can cause the liver to swell and not

work well. In severe cases there is jaundice.

Hepatitis A vaccination is the best way to

prevent Hepatitis A. This vaccine is usually

recommended for children since Hepatitis A commonly

affects children. Other ways to stop the spread of

Hepatitis A are:

� Always washing your hands with soap and water

immediately after using the bathroom or changing a

Common Liver Diseases and Prevention

Prevention:

child's diaper

� Always washing your hands with soap and water

before preparing or eating food

� Making sure that drinking water is clean. Avoid

drinking water from streams, ponds and wells

� When travelling outside and you are not sure of the

water quality, it may be wise to use to use good quality

packaged mineral water.

� Make sure that food handlers in restaurants and

eateries are hygienic in their food preparation practice

Hepatitis E

Hepatitis E is another virus that causes liver disease.

Hepatitis E virus can affect all age groups. It is more

serious than hepatitis A and can lead to liver failure and

death in some patients. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis

E.

Only way to prevent spread of Hepatitis E is

to follow general hygiene measures (as mentioned above

for hepatitis A) like hand washing, drinking clean water

and following food hygiene in restaurants.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B

virus. Hepatitis B can either present as an acute problem

with jaundice or can be silent for years and slowly leads to

liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Hepatitis B vaccination is the best way to

prevent Hepatitis B. Other ways to stop the spread of

Hepatitis B are:

� Practicing safe sex

� Not sharing razors, toothbrushes, or other personal

items

� Not reusing needles for tattoos, ear and nose

piercings

� Making sure that blood is checked properly before

transfusion

� Making sure that your health care provider

(doctor/dentist) are sterilizing their instruments

properly and using disposable syringes and needles.

Prevention:

Prevention: