Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Description: An accumulation of excess fat in liver cells not caused by alcohol consumption.
Symptoms: Often asymptomatic, mild fatigue, dull ache in the upper right abdomen.
Causes: Insulin resistance, obesity, high carbohydrate/sugar intake.
Risk Factors: Obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome.
Diagnosis: Abdominal ultrasound, liver function tests, FibroScan.
Treatment: Weight loss, healthy low-fat diet, regular exercise, managing blood sugar.
Liver Cirrhosis
Description: Late-stage scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions.
Symptoms: Jaundice, swelling in legs and abdomen (ascites), easy bruising, fatigue, confusion.
Causes: Chronic hepatitis B/C, long-term alcohol abuse, advanced NASH.
Risk Factors: Excessive alcohol consumption, chronic viral hepatitis, obesity.
Diagnosis: Liver function panel, FibroScan, abdominal ultrasound or CT, endoscopy.
Treatment: Treating underlying cause, diuretics for ascites, liver transplant evaluation.
Hepatitis B (Chronic)
Description: A serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), leading to chronic inflammation.
Symptoms: Fatigue, yellowing of skin/eyes (jaundice), dark urine, joint pain.
Causes: Contact with infectious blood, semen, or other body fluids; vertical transmission.
Risk Factors: Healthcare workers, unprotected sex, needle sharing, born to infected mothers.
Diagnosis: HBsAg blood test, HBV DNA viral load, liver biopsy.
Treatment: Antiviral medications (tenofovir, entecavir), regular liver monitoring.
Hepatitis C (Chronic)
Description: An infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation.
Symptoms: Often silent for decades, fatigue, easily bleeding, poor appetite.
Causes: Blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood.
Risk Factors: History of blood transfusions before screening, sharing needles.
Diagnosis: Anti-HCV antibody test, HCV RNA PCR viral load.
Treatment: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) with a high cure rate.
Alcoholic Liver Disease
Description: Liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake, ranging from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis.
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal tenderness, jaundice, fever.
Causes: Heavy alcohol consumption over several years.
Risk Factors: Heavy drinking, female gender (higher risk for same intake), poor nutrition.
Diagnosis: Elevated liver enzymes (AST/ALT ratio > 2), abdominal ultrasound.
Treatment: Strict, complete abstinence from alcohol, nutritional support.
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Description: Chronic inflammatory liver disease where the body's immune system attacks liver cells.
Symptoms: Fatigue, joint pain, abdominal discomfort, skin rashes, jaundice.
Causes: Autoimmune reaction triggered by genetic factors.
Risk Factors: Female gender, history of other autoimmune diseases (lupus, celiac).
Diagnosis: Positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) or ASMA, liver biopsy.
Treatment: Corticosteroids (prednisolone), immunosuppressants (azathioprine).
Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)
Description: An autoimmune disease causing progressive destruction of the small bile ducts in the liver.
Symptoms: Severe fatigue, intense skin itching (pruritus), dry eyes and mouth.
Causes: Autoimmune attack on the intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells.
Risk Factors: Female gender, middle age, family history.
Diagnosis: Anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) positive, high alkaline phosphatase.
Treatment: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), medications for itching.
Hepatic Encephalopathy
Description: A decline in brain function that occurs as a result of severe liver disease.
Symptoms: Forgetfulness, confusion, personality changes, hand tremors (asterixis), slurred speech.
Causes: Accumulation of toxins (like ammonia) in the blood due to liver failure.
Risk Factors: Dehydration, gastrointestinal bleeding, infections in cirrhotic patients.
Diagnosis: Clinical evaluation, elevated serum ammonia levels.
Treatment: Lactulose syrup, rifaximin antibiotic, correcting precipitating factor.
Portal Hypertension
Description: An increase in the blood pressure within the portal vein system, a major complication of cirrhosis.
Symptoms: Ascites, splenomegaly, bleeding from esophageal or gastric varices.
Causes: Obstruction of blood flow through the scarred cirrhotic liver.
Risk Factors: Advanced liver cirrhosis.
Diagnosis: Abdominal ultrasound with Doppler, upper endoscopy.
Treatment: Beta-blockers, endoscopic variceal band ligation (EVL), TIPS procedure.
Ascites
Description: An abnormal accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, commonly complicating liver failure.
Symptoms: Abdominal swelling, rapid weight gain, shortness of breath, feeling full quickly.
Causes: High portal vein pressure and low albumin protein levels.
Risk Factors: Severe liver cirrhosis, heart failure, abdominal cancer.
Diagnosis: Abdominal ultrasound, paracentesis fluid analysis (SAAG ratio).
Treatment: Low-sodium diet, diuretic medications (spironolactone), therapeutic paracentesis.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Description: The most common primary liver cancer, arising from hepatocytes, often in cirrhotic patients.
Symptoms: Weight loss, upper abdominal pain, worsening ascites, jaundice, palpable liver lump.
Causes: Chronic inflammation and cellular mutations from HBV, HCV, or alcohol.
Risk Factors: Liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis B/C, fatty liver.
Diagnosis: Triple-phase CT scan of abdomen, liver MRI, serum Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP).
Treatment: Surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, chemoembolization (TACE), liver transplantation.
Wilson's Disease
Description: A rare genetic disorder causing copper accumulation in the liver, brain, and other vital organs.
Symptoms: Tremors, difficulty speaking or walking, jaundice, Kaiser-Fleischer rings in eyes.
Causes: Inherited mutation in the ATP7B gene.
Risk Factors: Family history.
Diagnosis: Low serum ceruloplasmin, high 24-hour urine copper excretion, eye exam.
Treatment: Chelating agents (penicillamine, trientine), zinc acetate.
Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI)
Description: Liver damage caused by medications, herbal remedies, or dietary supplements.
Symptoms: Nausea, fatigue, dark urine, jaundice, itching.
Causes: Hepatotoxins or idiosyncratic immune reactions to drugs.
Risk Factors: Pre-existing liver disease, taking multiple medications, advanced age.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis of exclusion, detailed medication history, liver function tests.
Treatment: Discontinuing the offending drug, supportive care, N-acetylcysteine.
Hemochromatosis
Description: A genetic disorder causing the body to absorb too much iron, storing it in organs like the liver.
Symptoms: Joint pain, fatigue, abdominal pain, darkening of skin color ('bronze diabetes').
Causes: Mutations in the HFE gene.
Risk Factors: Family history, European ancestry.
Diagnosis: High transferrin saturation, high serum ferritin, genetic testing.
Treatment: Therapeutic phlebotomy (regular blood removal), iron chelation.
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)
Description: A progressive disease of the bile ducts characterized by inflammation, scarring, and narrowing.
Symptoms: Itching, fatigue, jaundice, upper abdominal pain, fever.
Causes: Unknown, highly associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
Risk Factors: History of Ulcerative Colitis, male gender, age between 30 and 50.
Diagnosis: MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography), ERCP.
Treatment: Ursodeoxycholic acid, endoscopic dilation of strictures, liver transplant.
