This seemingly innocuous symptom may indicate that something is seriously wrong with your liver so.
The liver performs more than 500 vital functions for the body, including removing toxins from the blood and breaking down food to be converted into energy.
Therefore any problems with the liver can be dangerous. If the liver is too damaged, it can fail, which can be fatal.
Fatty liver disease is one of the diseases that can lead to serious damage to the liver. This happens when excess fat accumulates in the body. In the initial stages, the disease often does not show any symptoms and may go unnoticed for many years. However, the longer it goes on, the more liver damage occurs.
The fourth and final stage of fatty liver disease is known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs after years of inflammation, leaving the liver scarred, lumpy, and shrunken.
Cirrhosisis scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by long-term damage to the liver. Scar tissue prevents the liver from working properly. Cirrhosis is sometimes called end-stage liver disease because it occurs after other stages of damage from diseases that affect the liver, such as hepatitis.
“Your liver can continue to work even if you have cirrhosis of the liver. However, cirrhosis of the liver can lead to liver failure over time, and you can get serious complications that can be life-threatening. Treatment can stop liver cirrhosis from worsening,” says hepatologist Alla Yuzhnova, exclusively for MedicForum.
Due to the severity of liver cirrhosis, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may not be obvious.
“One such symptom would be noticeable when combing or washing the hair.This is hair loss.”
There are a number of other health problems that can cause hair loss, but if they are unexplained or combined with other classic signs of liver cirrhosis, it is worth seeking medical attention.
Other signs of cirrhosis include:
- Fatigue and weakness
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss and muscle atrophy
- Feelings of nausea (nausea) and vomiting.
- Tenderness or pain in the liver area.
- Tiny red lines (blood capillaries) on the skin above waist level.
- Very itchy skin
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Tendency to bleed and bruise, such as frequent nosebleeds or bleeding gums.
- Fever and bouts of tremors
- Swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet due to fluid buildup (oedema)
- Bloating of the abdomen (abdomen) due to fluid buildup known as ascites (in severe cases, you you can look like a pregnant woman).
“You may also notice changes in your personality, sleep problems (insomnia), memory loss, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. This is known as encephalopathy and occurs when toxins attack the brain because the liver cannot remove them from the body.
If you have any signs of cirrhosis or fatty liver disease, you should contact your healthcare provider.
Factors that may increase your chance of developing fatty liver disease include:
- Obesity or being overweight
- Not exercising enough
- Smoking
- If you have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol.
MedicForum has previously written about the benefits of nuts for the elderly.
Important! Information provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and under no circumstances self-medicate. At the first sign of illness, consult a doctor.