The liver is a large organ that sits on the right-hand side of the abdomen, just under the rib cage. The liver is the largest gland of the body and it is essential for digesting food and helps the body to get rid of toxic substances.
Functions of liver-
• Makes bile, which helps to carry away waste and break down fats, during digestion in the small intestine.
• Makes certain proteins for blood plasma and also regulates the blood levels of amino acids, which form the building blocks of proteins.
• Helps in clearing the blood from medicines and other harmful substances
• Regulates blood clotting and fights infections by making immune factors.
Liver disease can be inherited (genetic) or acquired. Liver problems are usually caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver, such as excess alcohol intake, certain viruses, and obesity.
Different types of liver disease may include-
• Hepatitis
• Cirrhosis
• Fatty liver
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure.
Symptoms of liver disease can vary from symptom-less cases to mild to severe cases. They often include jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes, changes in the color of your stool and urine, swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily. Sometimes there are no symptoms.
Different test can be done to diagnose liver disease–
• Liver function tests
• CT scan
• MRI
• Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions, including people with liver disease, might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Hepatic dysfunction is significantly higher in critically ill patients with Covid-19 infection and is also associated with poor outcome.
• Among those who have long-term liver disease, 40% were admitted to the hospital, and nearly half of them needed intensive care. The rest of them recovered at home.
• Liver damage is more commonly seen in patients who have severe COVID-19 disease.
• However, it is unsure if this increase in liver enzyme levels is related directly to the virus that causes COVID-19 being in the liver or if liver damage results from other factors.
• Some patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection were found to have increased levels of liver enzymes — like alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) — that indicate their livers are temporarily damaged. Raised aminotransferase is a direct indication of liver infection/inflammation and the worsening of liver disease.
• Drink Alcohol Moderately
• Manage body weight.
• Exercise Regularly
• Avoid sedentary lifestyles
• Avoid increased consumption of processed foods and eat healthy foods.
For more information, you can visit WebMD.
