Signs of liver toxicity

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Duong Xuan Loc - Gastroenterologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Liver poisoning, damaged, will eventually lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer.... and affect other parts of the body. These diseases require long-term treatment, make patients suffer a lot of economic costs, affect health, reduce quality of life and, worse, cause death.

The main function of the liver is to detoxify the body, clean the inside of the human body. If the liver is good, it will perform well the function of filtering toxins, thereby preventing many diseases. Hepatotoxicity is a condition in which the liver is damaged, leading to inflammation in the liver. There are many causes of liver toxicity, but mainly due to some typical reasons such as:
Mistakes in the use of medicines: Abuse of drugs and not supplementing with vitamin supplements and foods. micronutrients necessary for the body such as vitamins A, E, K, C... and using foods to help purify the liver. Due to hepatitis B, C: Vietnam is a country with a high rate of hepatitis B and C virus infection, accounting for 77 - 85%. Use of stimulants: The phenomenon of liver toxicity due to alcohol is increasing because the use of alcohol, yeast and beer is increasingly popular. Alcohol is the second leading cause of cirrhosis, after hepatitis B virus. Eating unhygienic food: Contaminated, dirty food increases liver toxicity.

The following signs can help you early recognize the liver has been poisoned to have the method of liver detoxification as soon as possible:
Digestive disorders: This is the most common symptom, accounting for 60-80%) . Signs of digestive disorders caused by liver toxicity such as: Do not want to eat, flatulence, bloating, indigestion leading to frequent abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, fear of meat, fear of fat, diarrhea or constipation, yellow urine, yellow or silver stools. These symptoms lead to stagnation and weakness in the body. Pimples, rash, urticaria: Itching due to liver toxicity is a very common condition. The boils, rashes, urticaria are characteristic signs of the disease.... The cause of hepatotoxicity causing itching is due to impaired liver function, so the body's detoxification is no longer effective, toxic substances are accumulated. cause skin irritation. Pain in the right lower quadrant: Patients often feel pain in the epigastrium or right lower quadrant. In other cases, there may be severe abdominal pain in the gallbladder area. Sweating: When the liver is poisoned, the functioning of the liver will be impaired, causing liver heat. Signs to recognize are often feeling hot in the body, sweating a lot even though the temperature is cool and not too hot.

Flu-like syndrome: This phenomenon is common in early liver damage with signs such as: Headache, fever, pain in joints and muscles in the whole body. Decreased sexual ability: A toxic liver can lead to disorders of the excretory system, which in turn affects sexual ability. When the level of sex hormones decreases, it will cause an imbalance in the ratio of male and female sex hormones. This leads to decreased sex drive and impotence. Therefore, when you have unexplained sexual decline, you should see a doctor soon because it is most likely caused by liver disease. Changes in skin color: Yellowing of the eyes and skin is one of the most obvious signs of liver problems. Bilirubin (yellow waste) is produced from bile and processed in the liver. When there is too much bilirubin in the blood, it can leak into tissues such as the skin and eyes, causing them to turn yellow. Besides, if the whites of your eyes turn yellow, it means that your liver is not working well and has been poisoned. Note: When the liver is damaged, these signs will often appear at the same time, especially in cases such as: after drinking alcohol, eating too much, changing weather.

The liver is poisoned for many reasons, so when you see that your body has the above symptoms, it is necessary to go for an examination to determine the exact cause of the disease, thereby drawing up the appropriate treatment. combined, avoid long-term damage to the liver more severe.
In addition to strictly following the treatment course of the doctor, the patient needs to:
Build a reasonable diet: A reasonable diet helps liver cells recover and regenerate faster; Boosts immune system function and promotes liver recovery. Should eat more foods rich in protein and anti-fatty substances; green vegetables, squid, lean meat, eggs, fish, legumes and bean products; foods containing a lot of vitamin B1 such as: malt, bean sprouts, beans, peanuts, green vegetables, fruits....; foods rich in vitamin A such as: Cabbage, leeks, animal liver, carrots, chives, cow's milk, egg yolks, spinach, ... Limit eating foods containing a lot of sugar and high in energy . Do not use drugs indiscriminately: Arbitrary use of drugs is the cause of liver toxicity, so drugs should only be used when absolutely necessary and in accordance with indications and doses. If the drug must be used for a long time, it is recommended to add functional foods derived from nature that have been tested to protect the liver. Healthy living: Maintain healthy living habits; minimize alcohol, beer, and toxic substances in the air; You should exercise every day to stay healthy.

It is likened to a complex of metabolic factories of the body such as metabolizing nutrients, detoxifying and eliminating toxins from the body. Therefore, we need to protect our liver, avoiding the liver being poisoned that affects other parts of the body.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is implementing cancer screening packages suitable for many subjects at risk of different diseases, including the liver cancer screening package - early detection of cancer from cancer patients. when there are no symptoms.
With the screening package for hepatobiliary cancer, customers will have the opportunity to detect abnormalities in the body including the presence of cancer cells in the liver and biliary tree in just 1 visit. When registering for the Liver Cancer Screening and Early Detection Package, customers will receive:
Examination and consultation with an oncologist through an oncology appointment. Assess liver function through tests such as measuring ALT activity (GPT), measuring AST activity (GOT), measuring GGT activity (Gama Glutamyl Transferase), measuring total Bilirubin. Screening for hepatitis B and C virus infection through rapid HBsAg test and automatic immunological HCV Ab test. Screening for liver cancer through the quantitative test of AFP (Alpha Fetoproteine). Screening for liver tumors by abdominal ultrasound (general).