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Liver Health Facts and Myths -

But despite it being so common, there are lots of myths and misunderstandings. The stigma around liver disease means that people often hide their condition, so the truth remains hidden too.

There are many types of liver disease and they have many different causes. Alcohol is just one of them. Autoimmune hepatitis is caused by your own immune system getting confused and attacking your liver.

Drug Induced Liver Injury is a rare side effect that some people get after taking medicine prescribed by their doctor. Non-alcohol related fatty liver disease is increasingly common in the UK and is related to weight and diet.

But these are just some examples. You can find out more about the many types of liver disease on this page. Viruses cause some types of liver disease.

But they are much harder to catch than a cough or cold. You cannot get viral hepatitis from being near someone with the virus, or from touching them or something they have touched. The most common form of viral hepatitis in the UK is hepatitis C.

This can be spread via needles. For example, sharing needles for recreational drugs. Sometimes healthcare workers become infected by accident or mothers pass hepatitis to their baby around the time of birth.

And some people have viral hepatitis as a result of medical procedures such as blood transfusions that took place before safety measures were introduced in Not all liver disease is caused by alcohol. But if you talk about liver disease most people have an image of someone whose whole life revolves around alcohol and being drunk.

The truth is that people with liver disease are no different to anyone else. It may be a couple of drinks in the evening to unwind, wine with dinner or a few beers at the pub. Often people who develop alcohol-related liver disease tell us they have friends who drink far more than them, but seem fine.

You do not have to be dependent on alcohol to be drinking enough to potentially damage your health. You can find out more about UK guidance on alcohol and how to cut down on this page.

Your liver is amazing. It has over jobs and can repair itself when it is damaged. But it can only take so much. When this happens, your liver can become scarred and stiffened and eventually stop working.

You cannot live without a liver. If your liver stops working the only option is a liver transplant. A very serious operation which will mean taking medication for the rest of your life. You can find out more about liver transplants on this page. We all value the NHS and rely on it when we need it most.

No-one asks to be ill. Liver disease is no different. Fact : You can be born with liver disease, contract it from a virus, develop an autoimmune form of liver disease, develop it from what you eat and drink, be exposed to various toxins, or get it for unknown reasons.

Alcohol only causes 1 out of more than different types of liver disease. In Australia, Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease MAFLD is the most common liver disease, affecting more than 5 million people. Once you have liver disease or liver damage, it is recommended that you stop drinking alcohol and follow the advice of your healthcare team to give your liver the best chance of recovery.

Fact : Even tiny babies can get liver disease. Paediatric liver specialists in Australia see hundreds of children — from newborns to teens — who suffer from various forms of liver disease.

The major causes of liver disease in children are inherited e. hepatitis A, B, C , and blockages in the flow of bile from the liver e. biliary atresia , Alagille syndrome. Fact : You can have liver disease and not know it because the symptoms can be vague and easily confused with other health problems.

Many people with liver disease have no symptoms at all, but the liver may already have suffered significant damage. If you do experience symptoms , they could take the form of fatigue, nausea, itching, dark urine or yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes jaundice.

Fact : Jaundice can be an early warning sign of liver disease. Fact : It is true that heavy drinking damages the liver and can lead to cirrhosis scarring of the liver. But cirrhosis can happen when any form of liver disease reaches an advanced stage.

It is not only related to alcohol. Causes of cirrhosis include:. Fact : When your liver starts to fail, toxins can build up in your brain causing a condition called hepatic encephalopathy HE. HE causes confusion and affects brain function. This can happen when people have acute liver failure or chronic liver disease.

HE symptoms include trouble sleeping at night, difficulty thinking clearly, poor concentration, anxiety, mental fogginess, confusion, disorientation, reduced consciousness or even coma. Fact : Despite the promise of a newer, healthier you from well-marketed products and programs that are meant to cleanse your digestive system, the liver does not need to be cleansed — it does that job itself.

If you have liver damage, there are lifestyle changes and treatments that can reverse much of the damage. But you need to keep these up over time.

Because of its wide-ranging responsibilities, your healthy liver can come under attack by Liver Health Facts and Myths, toxic substances, Raspberry ketones reviews and diseases. However, even Factz under siege, the liver Heaoth Liver Health Facts and Myths slow to LLiver. People who have aFcts with their liver are frequently unaware because they may have few, if any, symptoms. Your liver is such a determined organ that it will continue working even when two-thirds of it has been damaged. The Canadian Liver Foundation is bringing liver research to life by sharing what we learn from important research to help Canadians protect their liver health and prevent liver disease in themselves and their loved ones. Fact : Liver disease is common Mjths affects more Mythx 1 in 3 of Healtj Australians. It causes Hexlth of thousands of days lost to Anemia in athletes health and is nad leading cause of death. Fact Liver Health Facts and Myths You can be born with Anti-cancer research disease, contract it from Mytgs virus, develop an autoimmune form of liver disease, develop it from what you eat and drink, be exposed to various toxins, or get it for unknown reasons. Alcohol only causes 1 out of more than different types of liver disease. In Australia, Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease MAFLD is the most common liver disease, affecting more than 5 million people. Once you have liver disease or liver damage, it is recommended that you stop drinking alcohol and follow the advice of your healthcare team to give your liver the best chance of recovery.