When does the liver hurt?

The liver is an unruly, troublesome, compassionate hostess of our body. Until the mood of the "hostess" is good, the work is argued and the health is excellent - the whole body works like a clock. When the liver hurts, even if all other organs are in good health, you will not envy the person's health. In a normal state, the liver is involved in a variety of functions, interacts with virtually all systems and organs, any failure in its operation leads to multiple disorders, to a chain reaction, the consequence of which can be serious complications.

Why does the liver hurt?

Many-faced hepatitis

Hepatitis should be considered the most common hepatic disease affecting heterogeneous groups. His popularity, hepatitis, largely due to the wide flowering of drug addiction. Every third infected with hepatitis has in its history a considerable narcotic experience. However, it is not necessary to attribute any connection with drugs to anyone with a diagnosis of hepatitis.

In itself, this disease has several types and forms. Naturally, each type of hepatitis has its own way of transmission of the virus, its clinic and the nature of the course. At one type of disease the liver hurts, and at other - in general it is not observed any suspicious signs.

The most "harmless" is foodborne hepatitis, in the diagnosis it goes with the indispensable accompaniment of the letter A. The virus of hepatitis A enters the body through the digestive system, with water, poor-quality products, with a violation of personal hygiene. Most often this type of hepatitis occurs in children, when unwashed hands become the cause of many diseases.

The nature of the course of hepatitis A does not differ by severe manifestations, it is not inclined to change into a chronic form. What can not be said about hepatitis B with letter B. This virus enters the body through the bloodstream, "gates" are procedures for transfusion of contaminated blood, intravenous injections with unsterile needles, which often occurs at home, or when using the same syringe for several injections to different people. It is possible to transmit hepatitis B and sexually. A similar form of hepatitis is acute, violent, with a frequent transition to a chronic form, especially when untimely initiation of treatment. There is a pronounced pain syndrome, in which the area of pain localization is clearly defined, the patient can accurately say that the liver is aching.

The letter C reflects another form of hepatitis, whose virus also penetrates the body through injections and sexual way, but has a hidden character of the course, is detected only by conducting a special blood test. Almost immediately takes a chronic form. It is very difficult to treat. There are also viruses D, E, and F. Self-emergent hepatitis D has not yet been fixed, mainly it develops against the background of the existing hepatitis B virus infection, in the form of one of the possible complications. The remaining two letters E and F belong to hepatitis viruses, which have been poorly studied up to the present day, and it is not yet possible to say specifically what pathways these pathogens penetrate into the body.

Symptomatic of hepatitis

Any type of hepatitis can proceed clearly and secretly, have a sharp or chronic form. It is not always possible to catch the moment of onset of the disease. In most cases, a person learns of the disease completely by accident, having received the results of a blood test, with a routine examination, for example. Pain syndrome, too, may not be. Many people assume that hepatitis must necessarily be accompanied by a change in the color of the skin and mucous membranes, passing from natural color to yellow, the so-called jaundice. But practice denies such a statement. There are many cases when hepatitis was detected already at a chronic stage, with no visible changes, no skin color, or mucous, not observed.

But still, jaundice is considered to be the most significant symptom of liver damage, although it does not always characterize the onset of hepatitis. Provoke jaundice and many symptoms, close to the symptoms of acute hepatitis, can take many medications, heavy products that have a very irritating effect on the liver, excessive intake of toxic substances, for example, alcohol. No matter what causes jaundice, it is important that it reflects the negative processes in the liver. To establish the true picture, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible and take all the necessary tests that reflect hepatic parameters.

Penetration of the hepatitis virus into the body triggers a variety of pathological processes that change the structure of the hepatic tissue, slowing and worsening its work, thereby slowing down all metabolic processes. A person suffers from weakness and a constant malaise, which does not go away after a long rest period, a poor appetite, a frequent eructation accompanied by bitterness. Some patients report a persistent presence of nausea, in severe cases, vomiting occurs.

A person does not suspect that in fact he has a liver ache and often does not hurry to seek help. Manifestations from the excretory system are noted in the form of a change in the color of urine, from bright yellow to dense brown. A feces, on the contrary, discolored. Often it is the change in the color of urine and feces that makes a person pay closer attention to the situation.

If, with all these signs, a person seeks help from a therapist, then first, after a routine examination of the patient, general blood and urine tests and a blood test for hepatic tests are prescribed. If necessary, the list of necessary analyzes can be significantly increased, it all depends on the degree and severity of the process. After the results of necessary tests are obtained, the diagnosis is made with a high degree of accuracy.

The course of hepatitis

The disease proceeds through several stages, which can be observed by the intensity of icteric staining of the skin and sclera. The first stage is called pre-jaundice, when there are no special signs, except for malaise, fatigue, dyspeptic disorders. During this period, the disease is associated with a malaise, or if the temperature and symptoms of colds join, naturally, everything is written off for a cold. The first stage can last from a few days to a week.

Then comes the second or icteric period, when in a short period of time, in just a few hours, begins to intensively increase the icteric color of the skin and mucous membranes. In this case, the main symptoms can reverse, subside. At this stage, the emergence of pain is likely to occur. The liver hurts from the right side under the ribs, the pain can grow and stop, leaving behind a constant pronounced heaviness. The duration of the jaundice period varies from two weeks to two months, all depending on the degree of viral damage and the period of treatment for medical help. The later treatment is started, the higher the probability of the disease transition into a chronic form.

The outcome of the disease can be one of three options: 

• full recovery, 
• transition to the stage of carrier of the virus (which is an indicator of the norm), 
• transition of the process into a chronic form.

How is hepatitis treated?

Treatment of hepatitis is carried out strictly under the supervision of doctors in the infectious disease department, if it is a form of hepatitis, which is transmitted through the digestive system. Isolation of the patient is a warning of mass infection. Hepatitis, transmitted sexually and through the blood, can be treated permanently, provided that a person agrees to comply with all safety rules and not cause harm to others. If this option is possible, then both sexual partners are called to treatment: one for the purpose of recovery, the other for the purpose of prevention.

If the hepatitis occurs without significant symptoms, there are no concomitant diseases and complications, then the treatment is limited to a special diet, intravenous fluids (drip and jet) solutions that purify the blood of toxins, facilitate the work of the liver, nourish it with all the necessary substances and trace elements. The severe course of the disease, in which the liver is severely and paroxysmally, the organ is greatly enlarged, the edema, the displacement of the nearest organs are observed, the temperature of the body is increasing - it requires urgent transfer of the patient either to the intensive care unit or under the control of the resuscitation team.

Hepatitis is easy to prevent

The usual and usual rule for all from childhood is the simplest personal hygiene, stating that before eating, your hands must necessarily be washed with soap, able to protect you from a multitude of various unpleasant diseases. Hepatitis A among them. Currently, there is a very effective vaccination against this virus. If it is not possible to administer the vaccine, you can use an intramuscular injection of an immunoglobulin. The nurse of each procedural or inoculum study knows the proper dosages of this drug. The dose is calculated for each kilogram of total body weight.

There is also a vaccine against the hepatitis B virus. A whole course of vaccination, consisting of three injections, is conducted. Vaccine against other types of hepatitis has not yet been developed. However, they can also be avoided, by observing the rules of protection during sexual intercourse, by resorting to the use of a condom. In cases of need, only disposable instruments and systems should be used in blood transfusions or intravenous injections. It is not out of place that the medical staff of the certificate of compliance with the transfused blood will request all standards and norms, where information will be reflected that the fluid has been tested for safety against the hepatitis virus.

Always remember that there are no useless organs in our body, and the liver is one of the most important of them. If the time has come when the liver is already aching, then it is worthwhile to think about the correctness of the way of life, to give up everything harmful to this body, including fatty, fried, hot and smoked, and most importantly - to exclude alcohol from your life.