Experiences with
Liver diseaseTypes of liver disease
There are several types of liver disease, which can have different causes.
Symptoms of liver disease
Most types of liver disease do not cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Once you start to get symptoms of liver disease, your liver is already damaged and scarred. This is known as cirrhosis.
Symptoms of cirrhosis include:
- feeling very tired and weak all the time
- loss of appetite – which may lead to weight loss
- loss of sex drive (libido)
- yellow skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- itchy skin
- feeling or being sick
Treatment for liver disease
Treatment for liver disease depends on the type you have and how severe it is.
Healthy lifestyle changes can help with some types of liver disease. For example, alcohol-related liver disease may improve if you stop drinking alcohol.
Some types of liver disease (such as certain types of hepatitis) may need to be treated with medicine.
If you have severe liver damage and scarring (cirrhosis), you may need a liver transplant.
How to prevent liver disease
The 3 main causes of liver disease are:
- obesity
- an undiagnosed hepatitis infection
- alcohol misuse
You can reduce your risk of many types of liver disease with some simple lifestyle changes such as:
- trying to maintain a healthy weight
- not drinking too much alcohol
Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These are recommended if you're at risk.
You do not have to drink an excessive amount of alcohol to risk damaging your health. Regularly drinking just over the recommended levels can be harmful.
CausesSymptomsMedical treatmentsPreventionLiver disease may not cause symptoms in the early stages. Tiredness, loss of appetite and yellow skin (jaundice) can happen later on.
How liver disease is treated depends on the type you have. Some types can get better with lifestyle changes, while some may need medicines or surgery.
You can reduce your risk of getting liver disease by maintaining a healthy weight and not drinking too much alcohol.
Related links
HealthUnlocked contains information from NHS Digital, licensed under the current version of the Open Government Licence
