Why Is Liver Inflammation So Dangerous?

Liver inflammation can be extremely dangerous to your health - even to your survival. If liver inflammation goes undetected or is left untreated, it can result in so much damage that your liver eventually fails. When liver failure occurs, there's only one way to survive, and that's through liver transplantation.

Liver inflammation is more commonly known as hepatitis. The word hepatitis comes from Greek, and it literally means inflamed liver.

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS

You might be surprised to learn that obesity is one of the biggest causes of liver inflammation. Health authorities in the United States and Canada have said liver problems caused by obesity are nearly at epidemic proportions. The reason is a condition called fatty liver disease. When you have this disorder, also known as fatty liver syndrome, it means there is excess fat accumulating in your liver. This fat causes irritation of liver tissue, which then becomes inflamed. This inflammation destroys liver cells. It's estimated that 10-20 percent of Canadians and Americans have fat growing on their liver.

Use - or abuse - of alcohol is another of the most common reasons for liver inflammation. There is a form of liver inflammation called alcohol-induced hepatitis which affects millions of people worldwide. Even moderate amounts can cause liver damage in just a few years. Research has shown that 9 out of 10 individuals who consume approximately 150 grams of alcohol a day for five years will experience some degree of liver impairment. 150 grams is a little more than 5 ounces. Hepatitis caused by alcohol consumption happens three times as often as hepatitis C, which is caused by a contagious virus. Anyone with any degree of liver inflammation should stay away from alcohol completely.

Viral infections are also among the most common reasons for hepatitis. Since many cases of hepatitis are caused by viruses, an infection can often be transmitted from one person to another. The viruses that cause hepatitis have been designated with alphabetical names from A through G. Hepatitis C is one of the most common types, and one of the most dangerous.

Medications, supplements and vitamins can also be a source of liver inflammation. Consult your doctor before you take any kinds of pain-killers or medications like acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol. Repeated, excessive use can inflame your liver. Easy-to-get over-the-counter drugs can harm your liver if you take more than you should, or take them in certain in combination's. Be careful with vitamins and supplements too. They may seem completely harmless because you don't need a prescription to get them. But they can be dangerous if you don't know enough about them.

The amount of harm medications, vitamins and supplements can do will depend on amounts consumed and the length of time they are taken. Of course, recreational drugs, especially those that are administered intravenously, are particularly dangerous. Users who share needles when taking intravenous drugs place themselves at an additional risk from viral hepatitis infections.

There are a number of liver conditions which trigger liver inflammation. These include hemochromatosis and Wilson's disease. Plus, some other diseases, especially malaria and mononucleosis, will damage liver tissue.

If any of the risk factors described above apply to you, you should talk to your doctor soon. Liver problems often present no warning symptoms and you may not even know you have liver trouble until significant damage has been done and liver function is impaired. The best way to defend yourself from liver inflammation is to have regular physical check-ups that include liver function tests. These tests will detect liver inflammation or any other signs of liver problems when there is still time to treat them.

Why Is Liver Inflammation So Dangerous?

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS