Overview. Hepatitis is a general term used to describe inflammation of the liver. Liver inflammation can be caused by several viruses (viral hepatitis), chemicals, drugs, alcohol, certain genetic disorders or by an overactive immune system that mistakenly attacks the liver, called autoimmune hepatitis.
When the liver is inflamed or damaged, its function can be affected. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis. However, hepatitis is often caused by a virus.
Chronic pathologic processes include viral infection, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and autoimmune diseases. Depending on the type of underlying liver injury, several mechanisms exist to trigger immune reactions. Chronic immune reactions lead to liver fibrosis.
Too many toxins or fats in your blood can cause liver inflammation (hepatitis). If you have an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly), your liver is swollen beyond its normal size. This is a symptom of an underlying problem. Most often, it's a type of liver disease, causing it to swell with inflammation.
These are the most common: Pathogens (germs) like bacteria, viruses or fungi. External injuries like scrapes or damage through foreign objects (for example a thorn in your finger) Effects of chemicals or radiation.
There are two different types of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Simple fatty liver: This means you have fat in your liver, but you may not have any inflammation in your liver or damage to your liver cells. It usually doesn't get worse or cause problems with your liver. Most people with NAFLD have simple fatty liver.
Liver inflammation can be caused by several viruses (viral hepatitis), chemicals, drugs, alcohol, certain genetic disorders or by an overactive immune system that mistakenly attacks the liver, called autoimmune hepatitis.
Stage 1 is inflammation of your liver, caused by your immune system reacting to a foreign substance, like toxins. Chronic inflammation can lead to an enlarged liver. Inflammation can result from fatty liver, hepatitis, and other causes.
Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that lasts one to two weeks.It is believed to lead to alcoholic cirrhosis over a period of years. Symptoms include of alcoholic hepatitis include: Loss of appetite.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection commonly causes progressive liver diseases that deteriorate from chronic inflammation to fibrosis, cirrhosis and even to hepatocellular carcinoma.
But toxic hepatitis can permanently damage your liver, leading to irreversible scarring of liver tissue (cirrhosis) and in some cases to liver failure, which can be life-threatening.
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C can cause a chronic, persistent infection, which can lead to chronic liver disease. There is a vaccine to prevent hepatitis A and B, however there is not one for hepatitis C.
Hepatomegaly is enlargement of the liver beyond its normal size. Certain conditions such as infection, parasites, tumors, anemias, toxic states, storage diseases, heart failure, congenital heart disease, and metabolic disturbances may all cause an enlarged liver.
It is estimated that alcohol-related fatty liver disease develops in 90% of people who drink more than 40g of alcohol (or four units) per day. That's roughly the equivalent of two medium (175ml) glasses of 12% ABV wine, or less than two pints of regular strength (4% ABV) beer.
Barring complications, the liver can repair itself completely and, within a month, the patient will show no signs of damage. However, sometimes the liver gets overwhelmed and can't repair itself completely, especially if it's still under attack from a virus, drug, or alcohol.
As the liver tries to halt inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis). With continued inflammation, fibrosis spreads to take up more and more liver tissue. If the process isn't interrupted, cirrhosis can lead to: Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites)
A blood test can show elevated liver enzymes. The blood test checks for raised levels of AST and ALT, which are enzymes that the liver releases when it becomes inflamed or damaged. If a doctor finds that a person has raised AST or ALT levels, they are likely to carry out further tests to determine the underlying cause.
Urine that is dark orange, amber, cola-coloured or brown can be a sign of liver disease. The colour is due to too much bilirubin building up because the liver isn't breaking it down normally. Swollen abdomen (ascites).