When you see any of the above symptoms or suspect that you may have a liver disease, the patient also needs to be checked immediately to detect the disease early, in order to have timely and appropriate treatment.

The liver is an important organ and performs many metabolic functions in the body. The most important function of the liver is to detoxify the body by metabolizing and eliminating endogenous and exogenous toxins, helping the body function normally. Therefore, once the liver cells have been damaged, the normal functioning of the liver will have a negative impact on health. And when we do not detect early, regular health monitoring for timely treatment can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer.

Therefore, the early detection of liver disease can help us treat timely, reasonably and avoid serious complications of the disease.

Hepatitis B - The pathway to liver cancer.

Early signs of liver cancer

Jaundice, yellow eyes: The accumulation of bile pigments in the body has many causes, in which, when impaired liver function causes the accumulation of bile pigments in the body, they are not discharged as normal and will accumulate. convergence of skin and epidural causing jaundice and yellowing of the eyes. Therefore jaundice is a clinical manifestation of impaired liver function.

Dark urine: Similar to jaundice, hyperpigmentation in the blood changes urine color from dark yellow to brown. If you notice a change in the color of your urine, a physical exam may be necessary for you.

Itching: This can be considered as a common symptom, but it is also one of the early signs of liver disease. This is also due to the effect of the accumulation of bile pigments in the body that cause itching on the skin.

Fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea: The body's frequent feelings of fatigue may also be a symptom of liver disease. When liver function is impaired, the elimination of toxins in the blood will not be effective, it causes fatigue of physical and mental activities. And when the liver is weak, it can also affect digestion and metabolism, cause poor diet, indigestion and lead to weight loss. Therefore, you should have a health check if you notice this symptom.

Smelly breath: when the ability to eliminate toxins in the blood will make the breath smell.

Right flank pain: Symptoms of abdominal pain (especially in the lower right flank) are also an early sign of liver disease. At first, there may be dull pain, one-sided pain, after increasing pain and may spread to the right but the usual painkillers when used are not effective. In some cases, after eating fatty foods high in grease, the pain is more severe.

When looking at the stool color when you notice abnormalities, changing the color of the stool to gray, yellow or silver is also a sign of liver dysfunction.

In addition, some other symptoms are not necessarily liver symptoms, but the early detection of these symptoms can help us detect liver diseases such as: Low body weight, bloating, bleeding root teeth, nosebleeds; skin rash or bleeding, bruising ... For women, they often have too many periods, in men with the phenomenon of breast enlargement, there may be sexual problems, ...

The color and shape of your nails can also indicate if you have liver disease. If your nails are white or white, you are at risk for liver disease
May include itchy rashes, arthritis, arthralgia. Accompanying with flu-like symptoms: Chills, fever, fatigue ...

Treatment 

Acute phase: This stage, if symptoms are mild, do not need treatment, the disease can go away on its own. And during this time, you should avoid close contact with others, and should have a diet that provides enough calories, nutrients and water to the body.

In addition, within 2 weeks of being infected with the hepatitis B virus, antiviral serum vaccination is required for those who have a close relationship with the patient.

Chronic phase: The goal of treatment for this stage is to reduce the risk of liver diseases such as cirrhosis, liver cancer and prevent the possibility of spreading to others. Treatments include:

Using antiviral drugs can help fight the hepatitis B virus and slow down the virus' ability to cause damage.

Liver transplantation: If the liver has been severely damaged, your doctor may recommend this method to remove the damaged liver and replace it with a healthy donor liver.

When you see any of the above symptoms or suspect that you may have a liver disease, the patient also needs to be checked immediately to detect the disease early, in order to have timely and appropriate treatment. .

According to Dr. Vo Duy Thong MD PhD - Gastroenterology - Hepatology at City International Hospital.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: 

City International Hospital

• Address: No. 3, 17A Street, Binh Tri Dong B Ward, Binh Tan Dist. (Next to AEON Mall Binh Tan). Ho Chi Minh City.
• Operator: (+8428) 6280 3333, ext. 0
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General disclaimer

 Always consult your doctor regarding any concern about your health. Your doctor will be in the best position to give the appropriate medical advice. For suspected undesirable drug reaction and seek medical attention immediately.