Liver is the largest organ of body. It fights infections, regulates blood sugar, removes toxins, controls cholesterol, making proteins and releases bile to help digestion. The problems in relation to the liver were largely ignored. With time the treatment and cure has improved for the infectious disease, but the chronic disease like that of liver, kidney, heart and neurological problems increasing. Like other chronic diseases, liver is one of the common disease where lifelong treatment needed and often had an impact on the quality of life. Major part of this disease is asymptomatic and when diagnosed, it’s too late for treatment or can only be stabilized, not curative. Hence intensive awareness is needed for screening, early diagnosis, treatment and follow up is needed. World Liver day is observed on 19 April every year. The day is observed to spread awareness about the liver-related disease.
As per the World Health Organization’s estimates published in 2017, liver disease deaths in India per year is more than 2.5 lakhs and is the 10th most common cause of death in India. Cirrhosis is not only a concern because of death, but the treatment is costly, lifelong and takes your major junk of life to hospital. But the beauty of this disease is that, cirrhosis takes more than 15-20 years before problem occurs and early detection and treatment can prevent this. In the coming days this problem is going to be a major challenge and by small preventive steps we can help ourselves as well as to the society.
The common diseases of liver that are of public helath importance include- fatty liver, hepatitis B & C, Alcholic liver disease and liver cancer. However obesity and consequent fatty liver disease increasingly common. The fatty liver is a silent killer and over long-term progress to cirrhosis and as per global data, it will be the most common cause for cirrhosis in future. The alcohol related liver disease is progressively increasing which often present as jaundice but with continued intake lead to liver failure and cirrhosis and constitute nearly 34% of cases. Followed by this the viral hepatitis due to hepatitis-B and C is another common cause. These diseases remain silent for a long time and spread from mother to baby or by blood contact and can be prevented with efficient screening majors.
Cirrhosis is the end stage of liver damage where loss of liver cells and permanent scarring of the liver occurred. Cirrhosis can cause loss of appetite, weakness, yellowing of the skin (jaundice), blood vomiting or black stool, swelling of leg and abdomen as well as confusion or coma. Often liver transplant needed with these complications of cirrhosis. The periodic outbreak of jaundice due to poor hygiene, contaminated water often occur by hepatitis –A and E, these are short lasting disease with good recovery. But early detection and prevention needed as 1-2% cases, particularly pregnant female had a very high complication and risk of death.
