An overview of liver diseases and their treatment options

An overview of liver diseases and their treatment options

Liver diseases can be any condition that damage the liver and disrupt normal functioning. Important function of your liver includes metabolites detoxification, protein synthesis, aiding digestion by producing biochemicals to break down food, helping with your metabolism and also helps in regulation of hormone production in a number of ways. It is a vital organ, and also happens to be one of the most vulnerable ones owing to its placement in your body.

Some of the most common diseases which cause liver problems include:

  • Hepatitis which leads to inflammation of the liver.
  • Hepatic encephalopathy which causes accumulation of toxins in your bloodstream.
  • Liver problems caused due to excessive consumption of alcohol like fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.
  • Liver damage can be done due to the consumption of certain types of drugs and medications.
  • Autoimmune liver diseases like biliary cirrhosis among many other complications.

Common symptoms of liver diseases and damage include:

  • Changes in your stool with respect to its color, which is caused due to the absence of a brown pigment known as stercobilin.
  • Changes in color and consistency or your urine, which turns a darker shade compared to normal yellow.
  • Jaundice is the biggest indicator of liver diseases with visible symptoms like intense itching, which is the most common complaint when it comes to liver failure. A compound called bilirubin gets deposited in the skin which causes the itching which cannot be tackled by medications also.
  • Swelling in your abdomen, feet, and ankles.
  • Excessive fatigue, easy bruising and pain.

Treatment options available for liver failure include:

Treatment option will obviously depend on the type of liver failure. Liver diseases when detected early can be treated with a strong dose of acetaminophen which will help reverse its effects. Supportive care is given during the treatment for mild liver conditions, however, for complete liver failure a transplant is the only option left.

For alcohol-related liver diseases, the first recourse would be to stop drinking after which the patient might suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Psychological therapy is recommended to ensure there are no relapses.

For acute liver failure, treatments include medications which are used to reverse the poisoning. However for conditions which cannot be reversed by medications, a liver transplant is the ultimate option which is both takes times to consume since waiting for a liver donor and the recovery process from a transplant can take a hefty toll on your body.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.