Take care of your liver

4 mins read

The liver stores a lot of vitamins and body fuels. As a result, it can manufacture some plasma proteins and it also regulates the blood volumes. The liver is the largest organ of a human body which manages the products from normal red blood cell breakdown to other functions like a conversion of bile (this is a thick and digestive fluid that helps in breaking down the fats into fatty acids).

There are many liver cirrhosis treatment hospitals in India where one can go for a checkup when they think they are facing some major problems in the liver. The major tests that are done include liver function test. Here the blood is checked for excess bilirubin which shows whether the red blood cells are breaking down or not. There are also presences of certain enzymes that can indicate the liver damage. Then there is a kidney function test which shows if the kidney function is okay or not. There are also tests conducted to find out if there are any hepatitis viruses.

Liver transplantation is needed if there is an acute liver failure. This happens when a previously healthy functioning liver suffers from a massive injury which results in major symptoms of liver insufficiency. There are many reasons that lead to liver failures like viral infections, ingestion of toxins like drug reactions and mushrooms.

A liver has a remarkable ability to repair itself when there is an injury. But if repeated injuries happen and repeated repairs happen over decades then it can scar a liver permanently. When this happens, it is termed the cirrhosis of the liver and here the liver can no longer repair itself. They start showing inadequate liver functions.

Now whether one needs liver transplantation or not is very much evaluated by the specialists from several fields. They review the patient’s surgical, medical and psychosocial history to determine that. There are many health care facilities that offer an interdisciplinary approach to select a candidate for liver transplants. The transplant coordinator specializes in the care of liver transplant patients. Then there is a psychiatrist who helps the patient to deal with that issue so that the patient does not suffer from depression. Also, there is a nutrition specialist who helps the patient with their diet and food chart after the transplantation is done.

Once the liver transplantation is done successfully, the receiver can live a healthy life but they will need medications forever. The new liver will be strange to the recipient’s body and so one has to take drugs to keep their immune system intact so that the body can defend against germ attacks. But these medications sometimes come with side effects like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

One also needs to live very carefully after the transplantation is done. They need to go for some special diets which will be okay with the operated liver and one does not have to face any kind of complication. Post surgery recovery takes time and one has to follow a strict and healthy regime during that period.