Enlarged Liver - What To Do? Causes, Symptoms, Diet And Treatment Of An Enlarged Liver

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Enlarged liver - what to do?

Content:

• What does an enlarged liver mean?
• Reasons for an enlarged liver
• Liver enlargement symptoms
• Enlarged liver in a child
• Diet with an enlarged liver
• An approximate menu for a week with an enlarged liver
• Liver enlargement treatment

At the first signs of an enlarged liver, it is necessary, first of all, to identify the cause or disease.

What does an enlarged liver mean?

An enlarged liver is not a disease, but a symptom of a liver problem. In medicine, this phenomenon is called hepatomegaly and means that the liver stops performing its functions. Hepatomegaly, if left untreated, can lead to the development of a fatal disease - liver failure. A simple physical examination is sufficient to detect an enlarged liver.

More thorough research and analysis will be required to identify the causes:

1. Ultrasound or tomography to accurately determine the size of the liver and assess the general condition.
2. MRI - will accurately show the state of the bile ducts.
3. Blood tests. Required for examination of liver enzymes, viral infections and other disorders.
4. Biopsy. This study is prescribed for suspected cancer or fatty disease.

Reasons for an enlarged liver

1. Liver diseases:

   • Fatty hepatosis (a large number of fat cells in the liver).
   • Cholestatic hepatosis (impaired bile outflow)
   • Hepatitis
   • Viral or bacterial infections
   • Cirrhosis
2. Hereditary diseases associated with metabolic disorders

3. Diseases associated with circulatory disorders:

   • Heart failure
   • Blockage of the hepatic veins

4. Exchange violations:

   • Hemochromatosis
   • Fat metabolism disorders

5. The appearance of neoplasms:

   • Cysts
   • Benign tumors
   • Cancer tumors

6. Exposure to toxins:

   • Alcohol damage
   • Medicinal damage
7. Cholelithiasis
8. Defeat by helminths

Liver enlargement symptoms

An enlarged liver can be determined independently when the following symptoms appear:

1. Feeling of discomfort in the right hypochondrium, feeling of heaviness
2. Dyspeptic disorders - nausea, heartburn, stool change, belching, accompanied by an unpleasant odor.
3. Change in the color of the skin - yellowness, characteristic of hepatomegaly.
4. Changes in behavior - nervousness, irritability, drowsiness, or insomnia.

Since the above signs may indicate other disorders in the functioning of the body, then for an accurate diagnosis it is necessary to consult a specialist. There is no need to delay the visit to the doctor - the measures taken in time will help to avoid serious consequences.

Enlarged liver in a child

In infants, enlarged liver may be associated with neonatal jaundice. She does not need treatment, as it goes away within a month. The causes of this condition can be birth trauma, diabetes, and other disorders in the mother's endocrine system.

In a child under the age of 7 years, hepatomegaly is a completely normal physiological phenomenon. It is considered normal if the baby's liver slightly protrudes beyond the edges of the ribs (1–2 cm). As the child grows, the liver regains its normal size. In any case, the doctor will most accurately determine if the child needs treatment.

In children, an enlarged liver may indicate the following diseases:

1. Inflammatory processes in the body.
2. Congenital TORCH infections
3. Liver damage with toxins or drugs.
4. Metabolic pathology
5. Disorders of the biliary tract, blockage of the bile ducts
6. Metastases or tumors

A cause for concern is an enlarged liver in children in combination with other "danger signals": fever, venous network on the abdomen, vomiting, skin rashes, weight loss, decreased appetite, yellowness of the mucous membranes. When these signs appear, the pediatrician appoints a consultation with a hepatologist, infectious disease specialist, and gastroenterologist. To identify the exact cause of the enlarged liver, a number of tests and ultrasound examination are required.

Diet with an enlarged liver

A properly organized diet will help the liver cope with hepatomegaly. A diet with an enlarged liver excludes spicy, salty, fatty foods. The diet must contain proteins, vitamins, minerals and fiber. You need to eat more fish, vegetables, fruits, taking into account their calorie content.

The most useful foods: apples, avocados, dried apricots, turkey, turmeric, green tea, herbs.

Food should enter the body in small portions so as not to overload the diseased liver. Fractional meals (6–7 times a day) are recommended for better digestion. Learn more about what you can and cannot eat for liver disease.

An approximate menu for a week with an enlarged liver

Monday

1 reception - Milk rice porridge without adding butter and sugar, green tea with honey or rosehip broth.

Reception 2 - Boiled river fish

Reception 3 - Boiled carrots, grated

Reception 4 - A dish of steamed vegetables (without salt and spices)

Reception 5 - Fresh fruit

Tuesday

1 reception - Omelet from one egg (without yolk), rosehip broth or green tea

Reception 2 - Dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, raisins), previously filled with boiling water.

Reception 3 - Veal or chicken broth, bran bread

Reception 4 - Low-fat cottage cheese

Reception 5 - Salad of herbs and cucumbers

Wednesday

1 reception - Low-fat kefir or cottage cheese

Reception 2 - Rosehip decoction with honey

Reception 3 - Steam meatballs

4 reception - Pumpkin puree, herbal tea

Reception 5 - Baked cottage cheese pancakes with the addition of dried fruits

Thursday

1 reception - Oatmeal in milk, green tea with honey and lemon

Reception 2 - Compote with dried fruits

Reception 3 - River fish, steamed, bran bread

Reception 4 - Vegetable casserole, bran bread

5 reception - Herbal tea

Friday

1 reception - Boiled pasta in a small amount

Meal 2 - Diet buckwheat soup, bran bread

Reception 3 - Dried fruits soaked in boiling water

4 reception - Milk porridge

Reception 5 - Green tea with honey

Saturday

1 reception - Buckwheat porridge, boiled in water without salt and sugar, herbal tea

2 reception - Fruit platter

Reception 3 - Veal or chicken broth, bran bread

Reception 4 - Sauerkraut salad

Reception 5 - Pastila or fruit marmalade

Sunday

1 reception - Oven-baked cheesecakes with dried fruits, green tea with honey and lemon

Reception 2 - Veal or turkey, boiled and mashed with boiled carrots or pumpkin

Reception 3 - Rosehip decoction, bran bread

4 reception - Kefir or cottage cheese

Reception 5 - Salad of fruits or vegetables

It is also necessary to observe equal intervals of time between meals. Any diet must be discussed with a doctor who will give all the necessary recommendations. With an enlarged liver, nutrition should be optimally balanced. Therefore, it is periodically necessary to adjust and diversify the diet. Alcohol, coffee, chocolate, confectionery, salt, pepper, vinegar are the main enemies of the liver. For any liver disease, legumes in any form, nuts, carbonated drinks are contraindicated.

On the subject: The best folk recipes and products that restore liver cells

Liver enlargement treatment

If the examination does not reveal any diseases, and the liver is enlarged, then changing the lifestyle will help to quickly return the liver to normal. Most often, in order to restore normal size, you need to get rid of excess weight and give up bad habits. It is necessary to completely change the daily routine, revise the diet. At the slightest hint of an enlarged liver, it is better to immediately give up alcohol and smoking, limit the consumption of spicy, salty and fatty foods. Proper distribution of physical activity, sufficient amount of time for sleep and rest, walks and exercise - all this will help restore normal liver function.

Treatment of an enlarged liver, in any case, should take place under strict medical supervision. Modern methods of treatment include long-term use of medicines and homeopathic medicines, dieting, limiting physical activity.

Medicines to treat an enlarged liver

• Oatsol. Contains a large amount of plant components - oat extract, peppermint leaves, turmeric roots, immortelle flowers and other herbs. Improves the function of the biliary tract, cleanses the liver of toxins.
• Legalon or analogs (carsil, silibor). The composition contains milk thistle extract. The drug is used in the treatment of any liver disease. It improves digestion, normalizes metabolism, and reduces the risk of inflammatory processes. taking legalon has a beneficial effect on the body's endurance.
• Essentiale. The drug contains a complex of B vitamins and phospholipids. It is prescribed to restore liver cells in hepatitis, necrosis and cirrhosis. It significantly reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood, contributes to the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system.
• Essliver. Restores liver cells, normalizes metabolism.
• Hepatamine. Means for the normalization of liver function. The active ingredients are obtained from the liver of cattle. It is prescribed as a protective agent when taking antibiotics.
• Rezalut Pro. Soybean based hepatoprotector. It is prescribed for chronic liver diseases, restores cells, lowers cholesterol.
• Galsten. Homeopathic medicine, which is used in the treatment of an enlarged liver with hepatitis and cholelithiasis. Has no age restrictions or contraindications.
• Liv - 52. Stimulates liver function, protects against toxins. It is prescribed as an additional remedy for hepatitis and cirrhosis. Contains herbal extracts - chicory, capers, yarrow.
• Hepabene. It is prescribed for toxic liver damage and hepatitis. Contains herbal ingredients - milk thistle, fume.
• Tsikvalon. A synthetic drug that has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.
• Ursofalk. A drug based on ursodeoxycholic acid. It is prescribed for enlarged liver due to hepatitis, toxic lesions. Improves the activity of the bile ducts.

These drugs alone cannot cure an enlarged liver. For complete healing it is necessary to get rid of the main "provocateur". Treatment is carried out on the basis of a complete clinical picture of the patient, laboratory tests and under the supervision of a physician.

To quickly restore liver function, you must carefully monitor the work of the digestive system. To help the liver, appropriate drugs can be prescribed:

Allochol, cholenzyme. They normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract, thus helping the liver to cope with the load. Improves the flow of bile.

Mezim (pancreatin) is an enzyme-containing drug that helps digestion and improves the functioning of the pancreas and intestines.

On the subject: List of the best hepatoprotectors for liver restoration

The author of the article: Gorshenina Elena Ivanovna | Gastroenterologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Russian State Medical University named after N. I. Pirogova (2005). Postgraduate studies in the specialty "Gastroenterology" - educational and scientific medical center.