Liver Diseases

The liver is the body's chemical factory and filter — making proteins, clotting factors, and bile; storing energy; processing medicines, alcohol, and toxins; clearing infections and old cells. Liver disease is common, often silent in early stages, and can be caused by viruses, alcohol, obesity, medicines, or genetic disorders.

Main causes

• Hepatitis A and E — water- and food-borne; often self-limiting, but A and E can cause severe illness in pregnancy.
• Hepatitis B and C — blood-borne; can become chronic and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Both are preventable (B via vaccine) or treatable (C has curative medicines).
• Alcohol-related liver disease.
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD / MAFLD) — now the commonest liver disease in urban India; tied to obesity and insulin resistance.
• Drug-induced liver injury — paracetamol overdose, some TB drugs, some traditional/herbal products (heavy metals, hidden steroids).
• Autoimmune hepatitis.
• Wilson's disease and haemochromatosis — genetic.

Symptoms (when they appear)

• Tiredness, poor appetite.
• Nausea, upper-right abdominal discomfort.
• Yellow eyes/skin (jaundice).
• Dark urine, pale stools.
• Swelling of legs or abdomen (late).
• Easy bruising, confusion, drowsiness (advanced — urgent).

When to see a Health Expert

• Persistent fatigue with any liver symptom.
• Yellow eyes, itching, pale stool.
• Family history of liver disease.
• Known risk (heavy alcohol use, hepatitis B/C contact, obesity, diabetes, repeated blood transfusions, unsterile tattoos/piercings).
• Before starting any drug that can affect the liver — have baseline tests.

Prevention

• Get vaccinated against Hepatitis B — part of the routine UIP vaccine schedule; adults should catch up if missed.
• Avoid unsterile injections, tattoos, piercings, shared razors.
• Clean water and food — prevents A and E.
• Cut alcohol.
• Maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes — fatty liver is largely preventable.
• Be careful with painkillers — paracetamol at high doses or with alcohol is a common cause of preventable liver damage.
• Avoid unregulated "liver tonics" and herbal products marketed as liver cures — some cause liver injury themselves.