Liver Pain

Excerpt: 
If you are having liver pain then it can be an indication of any related disorder to the liver as it is a kind of symptom of liver dysfunction. If in doubt, consult your doctor or other primary care provider.







If you are having liver pain then it can be an indication of any related disorder to the liver as it is a kind of symptom of liver dysfunction. If in doubt, consult your doctor or other primary care provider.

One of the basic problems is the fatty liver, expansion of liver as it contains an excessive amount of fat and the normal healthy liver tissue is partly replaced with areas of unhealthy fats. This problem occurs in the liver because the liver cells and the spaces in the liver are filled with fat so the liver becomes slightly enlarged and heavier. The basic problem that is associated with it is pain in the right upper abdominal area. It is very easy to detect this problem as the color and shape of the liver changes and the liver is no more like a healthy liver that is much redder in color and has a uniform texture.

What Is Fatty Liver?

Fatty liver is a reversible condition seen in chronic alcoholism and other conditions, where large vacuoles of lipid accumulate in hepatocytes that are liver cells. Accumulation of this fat in liver cells causes the liver to enlarge. The lipid within the vacuoles is a particular type known as triglyceride. Triglyceride molecules consist of a glycerol backbone along with three fatty acid molecules joined on it.

What Leads To Fatty Liver?

There are chances of fat accumulating in the liver due to extreme weight gain or diabetes mellitus. Fatty liver can also occur due to poor diet and certain illnesses, such as tuberculosis, intestinal bypass surgery for obesity and certain drugs such as corticosteroids, or in the setting of very heavy alcohol use. A patient suffers from fatty liver when the fat makes up at least 10% of the liver. Also one must keep in mind that eating fatty food by itself does not produce a fatty liver.

Effects on the body:

It is seen that as liver is the largest organ any problem to it can be a mess with the entire health as a healthy liver regulates fat metabolism and is the major fat-burning organ in the body. A fit fine and a healthy liver helps to burn out the required number of fat and it can pump excessive fat out of your body through the bile into the gut. But in case of a fatty liver it is seen it stores fat when it should be burning fat and removing excess fat from your body. Thus, if the liver is healthy, one will not have much difficulty in controlling weight. Conversely a liver which is fatty is doing the opposite of what it should do. Indeed a fatty liver becomes a warehouse for fat and if allowed to progress for many years, the liver may become a bag of fat with dire consequences on health and longevity.

Abdominal pain may be connected to the liver disfuntioning too. Abdominal pain can range from various harmless conditions to extremely severe life-threatening conditions. If it is observed that there is a Sudden and very severe abdominal pain it should be treated as a medical emergency.

How Can Fatty Liver Be Treated?

The treatment of fatty liver is very much related to the reason why it has been caused. It is important to remember that simple fatty liver does not require treatment, as it does not result in damage of liver cells. Obese patients with fatty liver will have to reduce or lose excess fat in liver cells, as well as in other cells in the body, if substantial weight loss has to be achieved. Good control of diabetes mellitus with diet, drugs, or insulin can also decrease the fat content in the liver. It is seen commonly that many drugs such as cholesterol lowering drugs can exert toxic effects on the liver cells.

 





Gaiam.com, Inc

Powered by Drupal - Design by Artinet