What happens if you have an inflamed liver

This activates an immune response which requires some inflammation. When the inflammation is no longer required there is a system in place to resolve the inflammation and keep the liver healthy. Just as inflammation is required to get rid of toxic substances, inflammation is part of repairing damaged liver cells. Damaged liver cells and immune cells both send out messages to activate specific repair cells which travel to the site of the injury. These repair cells release something called collagen , a fiber, which stiffens the tissue around the cells, protects the surviving cells and allows healing to occur.

In a healthy liver, this repair process is very closely regulated and when no longer needed the extra collagen will disperse and the liver returns to normal. When Inflammation Becomes Disease While this controlled inflammation is essential to maintain proper function and balance in the liver, if it becomes dysregulated it drives the progression of liver disease. This diseased inflammation is called hepatitis.

We most often hear the word hepatitis when we talk about viral hepatitis , like hepatitis A, B, or C, but viruses are not the only cause of hepatitis.

Infection with a virus, overindulging in alcohol or fatty foods, or even our own immune system can trigger a continual inflammatory response in the liver, disrupting the closely regulated cycle of inflammation and healing.

When someone has liver disease, their liver enters into a very dangerous cycle. Persistent inflammation sends nonstop signals to the repair cells to continue depositing collagen. The extra collagen stiffens around the tissue like it is supposed to in the healthy liver but, instead of a signal being released to stop the inflammation and discard the extra collagen, the inflammation continues and even more collagen is deposited leading to more stiffening.

This is how scars or fibroids, develop in the liver. If left untreated, the scars will continue to replace healthy liver cells, leading to severe scarring known as cirrhosis. There are many different causes for hepatitis with varying risks and symptoms. Persistent inflammation , or hepatitis, sends nonstop signals to repair cells to continue depositing collagen. The extra collagen stiffens around the tissue like it is supposed to in the healthy liver; but, instead of a signal being released to stop the inflammation and discard the extra collagen, the inflammation continues, and even more collagen is deposited, leading to more stiffening.

This is how fibrosis develops. When repetitive damage or long-lasting inflammation occurs, collagen and other proteins build-up between liver cells, forming scar tissue. Scar tissue can block or limit blood flow within the liver, starving and killing healthy liver cells, causing more scar tissue to form.

Unlike healthy liver cells, scar tissue cannot function or repair itself. Over time, the scars in the liver will continue to build and replace healthy tissue.

Gradually, the scars snake out farther, covering more of the healthy liver and grow together, or bridge, creating septa or bands of scar tissue. Fibrosis also restricts blood flow. When doctors want to determine how severe the scarring is, they examine the impact on the portal blood flow.

The portal vein brings all the blood from the intestines to the liver to be processed. Fibrosis in mild to moderate stages often does not cause symptoms. Due to a lack of symptoms, many people live with liver damage, or fibrosis, without being diagnosed until they have symptoms of cirrhosis.

Fibrosis can be reversed if detected early enough and the underlying liver disease that caused the development of fibrosis can be cured or treated. If fibrosis is left untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

It is important to remember that the process of fibrosis progressing to cirrhosis happens over a long period of time. The time it takes for fibrosis to progress is different for every disease and every person.

Not everyone who develops fibrosis will progress to cirrhosis. Not everyone who gets cirrhosis will get cancer. Testing Options Until recently, liver biopsy was the only way doctors could determine the stage and degree of liver damage.

Today, there are both blood and imaging tests that can determine liver damage. This is a brief overview of different types of tests your doctor may discuss with you. Understanding Liver Biopsy Results Understanding the results of these different tests can be a challenge. Healthcare providers use different scales to define the stages of liver damage. Common scales used to grade a liver biopsy are explained here.

Most scoring systems examine the impact of fibrosis on the portal vein which brings blood from the intestines and the location and number of septa connecting bands of scars. If you have cirrhosis or are in the final stage before cirrhosis, please speak with your doctor about liver cancer screenings. This imaging test is not invasive. By measuring the stiffness of the liver your doctor can detect both scarring and fatty change in the liver.

Your CAP score is a measurement of fatty change in your liver. Fatty change steatosis is when fat builds up in your liver cells. Your doctor will use your CAP score to grade how much fatty change has happened in the liver.

The table here shows ranges of CAP scores, the matching steatosis grade, and the amount of liver with fatty change. Reliability of Test Scores This table shows liver diseases, ranges of fibrosis results, and the matching fibrosis score.

The ranges of fibrosis results in the table are estimates. Your actual fibrosis score may not match the fibrosis score in the table. If you have more than one liver disease you may not be able to use this table. Your fibrosis result may be overestimated if you have liver inflammation caused by recent illness or drinking alcohol, benign or cancerous tumors in your liver, or liver congestion when liver is too full of blood or other fluids.

Cirrhosis is where your liver is severely scarred and permanently damaged. While the word cirrhosis is most commonly heard when people discuss alcohol-induced liver disease , cirrhosis is caused by many forms of liver disease. While fibrosis is reversible there is a point where the damage becomes too great and the liver cannot repair itself.

There is no treatment that can cure cirrhosis. If possible, treating the underlying cause of cirrhosis may keep your cirrhosis from getting worse and help prevent liver failure. Successful treatment may slowly improve some of your liver scarring.

It is important to avoid things that could damage your liver further like alcohol, certain medications and fatty food. Treatment for someone with cirrhosis often means managing the symptoms of cirrhosis and preventing further damage to avoid liver failure. Doctors treat liver failure with a liver transplant. Someone with cirrhosis is at a very high risk of developing liver cancer. It is very important to receive routine liver cancer surveillance if you have cirrhosis; most people who develop liver cancer have evidence of cirrhosis.

Doctors also treat liver cancer with a transplant. It is important to note, people often live with cirrhosis for a long time before the option of liver transplant is discussed. There is a big difference between liver functioning and disease progression. Our livers are resilient, continuing to function even when they become severely scarred. Because of this, some people may not experience symptoms or have elevated liver enzyme tests even though their liver is damaged.

It is important to talk to your doctor about your risks for liver disease so you can receive imaging tests that may help diagnosis liver damage. Compensated Cirrhosis v. Decompensated Cirrhosis Cirrhosis is often categorized as either compensated or decompensated. Their symptoms of the disease may be mild or nonexistent even though the liver is severely scarred. Rather than a disease, an enlarged liver is a sign of an underlying problem, such as liver disease, congestive heart failure or cancer.

Treatment involves identifying and controlling the cause of the condition. The liver is a large, football-shaped organ found in the upper right portion of your abdomen. The size of the liver varies with age, sex and body size. Many conditions can cause it to enlarge, including:.

You're more likely to develop an enlarged liver if you have a liver disease. Factors that can increase your risk of liver problems include:. Large doses of medicines, vitamins or supplements. Taking larger than recommended doses of vitamins, supplements, or over-the-counter OTC or prescription medicines can increase your risk of liver damage. Acetaminophen overdose is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Know what's in the medications you take.

Read labels. Look for "acetaminophen," "acetam" or "APAP. Use supplements with caution. Over different types of liver disease can cause liver pain. The following are a few examples:. Cholangitis is inflammation of the bile duct system, usually due to a bacterial infection. The bile duct drains bile from the liver and gallbladder, carrying it to the small intestine. Cholangitis infection causes pressure to build up in this drainage system.

It normally indicates that there is an obstruction or blockage in the system. This may be due to stones, a tumor , blood clots, or a backflow of bacteria. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The most common cause is a virus, but other causes include heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and some medical conditions. Hepatitis B, C, and D cause chronic hepatitis, which can eventually lead to cirrhosis , liver failure, and liver cancer.

Hepatitis can be acute, meaning sudden and short term, or chronic, meaning long-term and persistent. A liver abscess is a pocket of infected fluid, or pus , that forms in the liver. Infection from certain germs, such as bacteria, parasites, or fungus, can cause the abscess.

An abscess can damage nearby tissue, it can lead to bleeding, additional infections, and even death. Treatment may include an antibiotic or antifungal medicine, and the abscess may be drained. Follow-up imaging tests of the liver are normally conducted to ensure the abscess is gone and that there is no permanent damage. Cirrhosis is an irreversible scarring of the liver. The liver slowly gets worse and becomes unable to work properly due to long-lasting injury. Over time, scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, and this can begin to block the flow of blood through the liver.

A healthy liver can regenerate its damaged cells. If the damage is too severe or long-lasting, the liver cannot completely repair itself, and it creates scar tissue instead. Cirrhosis happens gradually, but as it gets worse, the liver will begin to fail. This can lead to chronic liver failure or end-stage liver disease where the liver can no longer perform vital functions. The buildup of blood causes an increase in blood pressure in the portal vein.

This is the vein responsible for carrying blood to the liver from the intestines. This increase in pressure is known as portal hypertension. Portal hypertension causes fluid to build up in the abdomen.