Experiences with
Liver diseaseThere are many different types of liver disease. You can help prevent some of them by maintaining a healthy weight and staying within the recommended alcohol limits, if you drink.
Types of liver disease
Some of the most common types of liver disease include:
Condition | Possible causes |
---|---|
Alcohol-related liver disease | Regularly drinking too much alcohol |
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease | Being very overweight (obese) – this may cause fat to build up in the liver |
Hepatitis | Catching a viral infection, regularly drinking too much alcohol |
Haemochromatosis | A gene that runs in families and may be passed from parents to children |
Primary biliary cirrhosis | May be caused by a problem with the immune system |
Get the flu vaccine
Flu can be very serious if you have liver disease. Ask for your free flu jab at:
- your GP surgery
- a local pharmacy that has a flu vaccine service
Find out more about the flu vaccine
Coronavirus advice
Get advice about coronavirus and liver disease from the British Liver Trust
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.
If you or your child has been diagnosed with liver disease, the British Liver Trust or Children's Liver Disease Foundation can also offer advice and support.
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.
Important
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.
Read about the risks of drinking too much
More information
- Use the BMI healthy weight calculator to find out your body mass index (BMI)
- Start the NHS weight loss plan
- Read about cutting down on alcohol
- Find out who should have the hepatitis A vaccine and who should have the hepatitis B vaccine

HealthUnlocked contains information from NHS Digital, licensed under the current version of the Open Government Licence