Liver Diseases

Understanding Liver Diseases

The liver is a vital organ in filtering blood, metabolizing toxins, aiding in digestion, and several other functions.

Liver diseases, if left untreated, can lead to cirrhosis. There is no cure for cirrhosis, but we have many treatment options that can help lead you to a more comfortable and healthy life. Drugs to potentially reverse cirrhosis damage are on the horizon.

If liver diseases lead to cirrhosis and are still left unmanaged, there are fatal risks including liver failure, liver cancer and death.

Symptoms of Liver Diseases

Symptoms of liver diseases can include:

• Jaundice
• Dark urine
• Decreased appetite and weight loss
• Easy bruising or bleeding
• Pale, bloody, or dark stool
• Fatigue and weakness
• Confusion, mental fog and/or altered mental status
• Abdominal pain
  
• Swollen abdomen and legs
• GI bleeds

Causes of Liver Diseases

Liver diseases can be caused by many things including:

• Excessive alcohol use
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Viruses (hepatitis A, B, C)
• Autoimmune conditions
• Genetic conditions such as excessive iron in the blood
• Misuse of medications such as Tylenol or herbal medicines
• Inflammation of the bile ducts

Any of these factors can cause inflammation in the liver and can lead to scarring in the liver. Severe scarring is what we refer to as cirrhosis. With cirrhosis, your liver must work harder to perform its vital functions and doesn’t always do its full job. This is what causes many of the symptoms associated with liver disease.

Diagnosis of Liver Diseases

Your specialist will do a thorough overview of your history and a series of tests that may include the following:

• Physical exam to look for signs of cirrhosis such as red palms, spiderlike veins on your face or body, and fluid build-up in your abdomen
• Lab test that may include liver enzymes, kidney function and blood counts
• Screening for viral hepatitis and other causes of liver disease through blood tests
• A FibroScan, which is a quick, noninvasive liver and spleen scan done in the office
• An ultrasound, CT, or MRI which can provide a closer look at your liver and screen for cancer
• An EGD which is a scope of your esophagus or “food pipe”
• A liver biopsy which is when a sample of your liver is evaluated under a microscope

Treatment

Liver diseases can manifest in many different forms and each person is different. IU Health providers develop individualized treatment plans based on your specific case. While not all liver diseases have a cure, our providers will do their best to bring you back to your typical daily living.

We often take a multidisciplinary approach connecting you to the services you need which may include the following:

• Radiology
• Nutrition/dietician 
• Medical oncology and radiation (in cases of liver cancer)
• Addiction and recovery services (in cases of alcohol or substance use induced liver injury)
• Transplant specialists
• Palliative services
• Psychologists
• Liver Transplant

Treatment options for liver diseases include:

• Lifestyle changes
  • Stopping alcohol or substance use
  • Maintaining a healthy diet
• Medications
  • Antiviral drugs can be used to treat hepatitis B and C
  • Anti-Obesity medications (AOMs)
  • Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for alcohol and substance use disorder
  • Immunosuppressive medications
  • Diuretics for fluid retention in the abdomen
  • Laxatives are sometimes used to flush out toxins in your body that the liver is failing to filter
• Procedures
  • A paracentesis is a procedure that draws out excess fluid that accumulates in the abdomen (called ascites)
  • A shunt (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt/TIPS) is sometimes placed in the liver to help manage fluid retention and GI bleeding
  • Liver transplant

Our team is in close partnership with the IU School of Medicine, meaning new clinical trials and treatment options are always becoming available to our patients.