Hepatologic diseases are considered to be one of the most dangerous disorders in the body. The progression of certain liver diseases exposes her cells to dystrophic changes that can lead to the death of a person. To avoid complications, it is important to identify these pathologies in a timely manner and immediately start their complex treatment.
Liver diseases - names
There are 10 groups of hepatological lesions, each of them combines similar on the symptoms and the origin of the disease. The ailments of the gallbladder and its ducts are treated separately. What are liver diseases:
- Primary purulent, inflammatory and functional damage of parenchyma cells. In this group, viral and toxic hepatitis , steatohepatosis, tuberculosis and syphilitic infection, hepatomegaly , fatty hepatosis and abscess.
- Injuries - tears, stab wounds, crushing and gunshot liver lesions.
- Vascular pathologies. These include arteriovenous fistulas and fistulae, pylephlebitis, Badda-Chiari syndrome, portal hypertension .
- Changes intrahepatic ducts - cholestasis, Caroli's disease, cholelithiasis, acute and chronic cholangitis.
- Tumors. In the liver, cysts and hemangiomas, sarcomas, intra-cellular and cellular cancers, metastases from other organs can develop.
- Parasitic invasions - ascaridosis, alveolar and echinococcosis, leptospirosis, opisthorchiasis.
- Hereditary problems. Anomalies include hemochromatosis, aplasia and hypoplasia, enzymopathies, pigmentary hepatosis and atresia.
- Damage to pathologies of neighboring organs. Often the symptoms of liver disease develop against the background of diseases of other systems - cardiac cirrhosis (cardiac lesions), amyloidosis (bone marrow diseases), hepatomegaly (leukemia). Additionally, renal-hepatic insufficiency is included in this group.
- System changes. The causal destruction of the organ occurs with primary biliary cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis.
- Complications, structural and functional changes - parenchymal jaundice, cirrhosis, coma, insufficiency.
Liver diseases - causes
The fabric of which the described organ consists, possesses surprising abilities to regeneration and stability to damaging factors of an environment. For this reason, liver disease always provokes serious causes:
- intoxication;
- viral agents;
- alcoholism;
- bacteria;
- parasites;
- dangerous to life trauma;
- ionizing radiation;
- violation of immunity functions;
- acute purulent processes in the abdominal cavity;
- heredity;
- chronic diseases of other organs;
- inaccuracies in the diet;
- use of hepatotoxic drugs and others.
Liver disease - symptoms
The clinical picture of this group of pathologies affects the entire body. Signs of liver disease are visible even visually, they include dermatological manifestations. The reason for this extensive symptomatology is in hepatological functions. The liver is responsible for the hematopoiesis and detoxification of the body, is involved in the synthesis of vital enzymes, immunoglobulins, hormones and antibodies. Its damage leads to the failure of all physiological systems.
Can the liver hurt?
In this body, there are practically no nerve endings. They are next only to one edge and in the shell, so the pain in the liver region indicates already very serious pathologies. The tissue of the organ, enlarged in size, begins to squeeze its capsule, provoking unpleasant sensations. In other cases, pain in the right hypochondrium signals problems in neighboring structures, mainly the gall bladder or its ducts.
The first signs of liver disease
An early clinical picture with the majority of hepatological diseases is absent, and the organ is destroyed imperceptibly. What are the symptoms of liver disease first, depends on the nature and extent of its damage. The most common options are:
- heartburn;
- periodic nausea;
- discomfort after eating;
- unpleasant, sharp smell of sweat;
- darkening of urine;
- change in color of feces (light yellow, almost black, green);
- deterioration of vision;
- convulsions;
- loss of eyebrows, hair;
- headache;
- swelling and sweating;
- causeless weight loss;
- lagging of the tongue, cracks in it;
- increase in the size of the abdomen;
- pronounced venous pattern on the skin in the epigastric region;
- unstable stools;
- tendency to bleeding and others.
There are also indirect signs of liver disease, symptoms include manifestations of hypovitaminosis:
- irritability;
- weakness;
- deterioration of skin and hair;
- neuritis;
- dyspnea;
- tachycardia;
- sleep disorders;
- peeling of the lips;
- cracks in the corners of the mouth;
- formation of hematomas and others.
Sensations of liver disease
Hepatologic ailments always adversely affect the well-being. The main symptoms of liver disease are discomfort in the projection of the organ. There is a feeling of heaviness, pressure, raspiranie and aching pain. Sometimes a person feels fluttering under the right rib, as if the tail beats the fish. Diseases of the liver - symptoms and signs of a disease of a subjective nature:
- itching of the skin;
- malaise, low working capacity;
- drowsiness;
- a marked feeling of hunger and thirst;
- cardiopalmus;
- bouts of insomnia at night;
- deterioration of the brain, for example, a person begins to confuse colors (white and yellow, blue and violet);
- mood swings;
- violation of thermoregulation (something hot, then cold);
- mental disorders, mental abilities.
Temperature in liver diseases
Inflammatory pathologies are accompanied by fever. Indicators of the thermometer for hepatitis and other similar diseases reach 39-40 degrees. In other cases, fever is not observed. More often there is a subfebrile temperature in liver diseases, about 37.2-37.5 degrees. In some people, it remains normal (approximately 36.6) before the complications arise and the parenchyma of the organ is destroyed.
External signs of liver disease in humans
The deterioration in the performance of detoxification functions leads to the accumulation of harmful substances in the blood. The first external signs and symptoms of a sick liver include changes in skin condition:
- yellowness;
- swelling;
- dryness;
- cracking;
- peeling;
- itching and traces of scratching;
- sweating;
- occurrence of striae.
Diseases of the liver - manifestations on the skin
Against the background of a violation of the filtration and blood-forming abilities of the organ, a decrease in the synthesis of immunoglobulins, there are dermatological symptoms of liver disease:
- Ulcers. Skin is prone to the formation of follicles and boils, the slightest damage is inflamed.
- Allergic rash in liver disease. Accumulation of toxins contributes to the appearance of itching spots and papules.
- Hemorrhagic (petechial) rashes. Because of the violation of the processes of blood clotting, multiple subcutaneous hemorrhages, small hematomas are observed.
Diseases of the liver - signs on the face
People who are susceptible to this group of pathologies often suffer from acne, regardless of age. Symptoms of any liver disease can include severe leaking acne. Pimples are mainly deep and subcutaneous. When palpation, there is a piercing pain and throbbing. Here, what symptoms in liver disease are still observed on the face:
- closed comedones;
- "black dots";
- milium;
- purulent pimples.
Diseases of the liver - methods of diagnosis
Many hepatological ailments can be easily determined by the appearance of a person, so the specialist first examines the patient, registers symptoms, collects a detailed anamnesis. After the survey, additional examinations are scheduled. Diseases of the liver - diagnosis:
- ultrasound examination of the organ;
- a blood test for bilirubin , albumin and liver enzymes;
- biochemical screening;
- hepatic assays;
- study of pigment metabolism;
- urinalysis for bilirubin;
- determination of the level of bile acids in bile;
- investigation of the coagulation system.