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Finding the cause of liver damage and how bad it is help guide treatment. Your healthcare professional starts with a health history and complete physical exam. Your healthcare professional may then suggest: Blood tests. A group of blood tests called liver function tests can diagnose liver disease.
Over time, conditions that damage the liver can lead to scarring, called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure, a life-threatening condition. But early treatment may give the liver time to heal.
A healthcare professional may try to treat the liver damage itself, but in many cases, treatment involves controlling complications and giving the liver time to heal. Acute liver failure treatments may include: Medicines to reverse poisoning. Acute liver failure caused by acetaminophen overdose is treated with a medicine called acetylcysteine.
Treatment for cirrhosis depends on the cause and extent of your liver damage. The goals of treatment are to slow the progression of scar tissue in the liver and to prevent or treat symptoms and complications of cirrhosis.
In cases of early cirrhosis, it is possible to minimize damage to the liver by tackling the underlying causes. For instance, treating alcohol addiction, losing weight, and using medications to treat viral hepatitis and other conditions can limit damage to the liver.
Acute liver failure, also known as fulminant hepatic failure, can cause serious complications, including bleeding and increased pressure in the brain. It's a medical emergency that requires hospitalization. Depending on the cause, acute liver failure can sometimes be reversed with treatment.
Treatment. Treatment for NAFLD usually starts with weight loss. This can be done by eating a healthy diet, limiting portion sizes and exercise. Losing weight may improve other health problems that lead to NAFLD. Typically, losing 10% of your body weight or more is recommended. But losing even 3% to 5% of your starting weight can have benefits.
Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver damage. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads through contact with blood that has the virus in it. Newer antiviral medicines are the treatment of choice for most people with the ongoing, called chronic, hepatitis C infection.
Autoimmune hepatitis occurs when the body's immune system, which usually attacks viruses, bacteria and other causes of disease, instead targets the liver. This attack on the liver can lead to long-lasting inflammation and serious damage to liver cells.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, often called NAFLD, is a liver problem that affects people who drink little to no alcohol. In NAFLD, too much fat builds up in the liver. It is seen most often in people who are overweight or obese.