Did you know that your liver is the largest internal organ of your body? Your liver is responsible for a multitude of different jobs in the body, including metabolic, detoxification, and functional processes.
The major function of your liver is to produce bile, which is then stored in your gallbladder and used to help break down food during digestion. Your liver kills germs that enter your body through the intestinal tract. Your liver is also responsible for metabolizing items that pass through your digestive tract, such as nutrients, toxins, medications, and alcohol.
The most common conditions that affect the liver are hepatitis (A, B, and C), fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis. Let’s explore what those conditions mean and common causes of each.
- Hepatitis A: Hepatitis A is a highly contagious viral infection that causes liver inflammation. Because hepatitis A is a short-lived disease, it usually does not cause long-term liver damage and most people recover in a few weeks without needing treatment.
The best way to protect yourself from hepatitis A is to wash your hands often.
The most common causes of hepatitis A include:
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- Eating food handled by someone who has hepatitis A and did not wash their hands after using the restroom
- Drinking contaminated food or water
- Close contact with someone who is infected
- Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B can be either acute (lasting less than 6 months) or chronic (lasting longer than 6 months). People with acute hepatitis B usually have a full recovery; however, people with chronic hepatitis B are at an increased risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis. Hepatitis B is transferred from person to person through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and other body fluids.
The most common causes of hepatitis B include:
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- Having unprotected sex with an infected person
- Sharing intravenous needles with an infected person
- Coming into contact with human blood
- Infants born to infected mothers
- Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C is also transmitted from person to person through blood or other body fluids. Symptoms of hepatitis C can take years or even decades to develop; therefore, over half of the people who have hepatitis C may not even know they’re infected.
Hepatitis C is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and the most common cause of viral hepatitis and in the US.
The most common causes of hepatitis C include:
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- Having unprotected sex with an infected person
- Sharing intravenous needles with an infected person
- Coming into contact with human blood
- Infants born to infected mothers
- Fatty Liver Disease: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of chronic liver disease in the US. It causes fat to build up in the liver. Because of the rising rates of obesity in our country, the incidence of fatty liver disease is on the rise.
The most common causes of this condition are:
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- Obesity (especially abdominal fat)
- Insulin resistance
- Metabolic syndrome, which includes having three or more of the following:
- High blood sugar
- High cholesterol
- High levels of triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Large waist size
- Cirrhosis: This is a condition where the liver becomes scarred and starts to malfunction over time. There is no cure for cirrhosis; the goal of treatment is to slow the progression of scar tissue in the liver and to prevent and treat complications. Treatment will depend on the extent and cause of the damage.
Many people who have cirrhosis have multiple causes of liver damage, including:
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- Chronic hepatitis B and/or C
- Diseases that damage or destroy bile ducts
- Toxins, drug reactions, or infections
If you have a liver disorder, the knowledgeable and friendly staff at Austin Gastroenterology can help. Our gastroenterologists and GI providers serve patients at 18 locations throughout the greater Austin area. To schedule a visit, make an appointment using our online form or call the number associated with the office you’d like to visit.
