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The liver is most often called the filter of our body. But this definition seems rather narrow. Indeed, in the largest gland, without which a person cannot live even for several hours, thousands of chemical reactions take place every minute. It neutralizes and converts foreign substances into harmless ones, synthesizes glucose, provides the body with energy, participates in all metabolic processes, and produces bile for digestion.
Anatomically, the gallbladder is also part of the liver. The reservoir for storing bile ensures the normal functioning of the pancreas, duodenum and stomach, releasing bile through the bile ducts in a timely manner and creating favorable conditions for digestion.
When the functions of these organs are impaired, the body is poisoned, diseases develop, and the quality of life decreases. Therefore, it is important to prevent diseases, and if signs of ill health appear, take measures to eliminate them. The article talks about liver and gallbladder diseases, their symptoms and treatment using different methods.
Biliary dyskinesia
This is a common disease that occurs for various reasons. During it, there is a lack or excess of bile, which is supplied to digest fats. Often pathology appears due to disturbances in the functioning of the gallbladder, as well as its ducts. Often the root cause may be clogged ducts, the formation of stones, as well as anatomical abnormalities in the structure of the organ.
Characteristic symptoms of the pathology:
- Pain syndrome that manifests itself in the right abdominal region.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Stool disorders in which constipation and diarrhea occur.
- During an exacerbation, vomiting and acute pain can be observed.
- Often a person may experience problems with sleep, in particular a person suffers from insomnia.
- Mood swings. The person may suffer from excessive nervousness, irritability and depression.
- Weakness and increased fatigue. The person observes a deterioration in performance.
- Unpleasant taste in the mouth, often it is bitter.
If such symptoms occur, then you will need to visit a doctor. Only he will be able to prescribe the correct treatment, which will significantly improve your well-being and avoid dangerous complications. First of all, you should contact a gastroenterologist to undergo diagnostics and confirm the diagnosis. After this, treatment measures will be prescribed. If you have hepatitis, then you will have to take a course of antiviral drugs. For worms, anthelmintic therapy is prescribed. Additionally, medications are prescribed to relieve unpleasant symptoms. A person will definitely need to follow a diet so that later he does not have to suffer from an unpleasant disease.
Diet
When treating a chronic form of the disease, it is important to follow a diet, practice taking medications that reduce the production of gastric juice, as well as products containing enzymes.
In this case, it is also possible to treat the pancreas with herbs. Pancreatic tumors are divided into two types: pancreatic cancer and hormonally active tumors. With oncological formation, the patient develops jaundice, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, he is bothered by very severe pain, and weight loss. Surgical treatment is practiced.
It is important that the treatment of such diseases is comprehensive and carried out immediately after diagnosis of the disease.
The liver, like all other vital organs, is located in the central part of the body, occupying almost the entire upper part of the abdominal region under the diaphragm on the right. The liver has the difficult job of producing bile, which takes part in the breakdown of fats and stimulation of intestinal peristalsis, in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. The liver also neutralizes toxic substances and poisons.
Causes
Cholangitis
The disease is an acute or chronic inflammation of the bile ducts. It appears against the background of hematogenous infection, when the pathogen enters through the lymph, gall bladder and intestines. Quite often the pathology is accompanied by cholecystitis, hepatitis, and gallstones. Less often it occurs on its own, and more often affects the female body rather than the male.
The main provoking factor of the disease is infection in the bile ducts. A person has a violation of their patency.
This condition is caused by various health problems, including tumors of various types or cysts, scar structures, cholelithiasis, worms, and other causes.
Characteristic symptoms:
- the occurrence of discomfort and pain in the area of the right hypochondrium;
- the pain is intense, often radiating to the neck, right shoulder and shoulder blade;
- body temperature increases;
- skin and eyes turn yellow;
- hyperhidrosis, chills;
- symptoms characteristic of intoxication;
- sudden loss of appetite;
- increased weakness and fatigue;
- decreased performance;
- general poor health;
- headache, dizziness;
- nausea, in some cases vomiting;
- defecation disorders, diarrhea is often present;
- itching on the skin and rash.
In the chronic form of the pathology, the symptoms are blurred. The pain is often dull and mild. The occurrence of jaundice indicates a long course of the disease.
Treatment is carried out to eliminate inflammation and the negative process. Doctors perform detoxification and decompression of the biliary tract to prevent negative consequences. For complex therapy, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antispasmodic medications are prescribed.
As a supplement, hepatoprotective and infusion therapy is performed. If the remission stage is reached, then after a period of exacerbation, physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed. Surgery is often used to decompress the biliary tract.
Treatment methods
Conservative therapy is applicable in the absence of indications for surgery. It involves taking medications to improve digestion and reduce pain. If the pathology is of infectious origin, antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs are prescribed in the presence of parasites and worms.
Diet and lifestyle are subject to mandatory correction. By prescribing a gentle diet, doctors achieve maximum reduction of the load on the digestive tract and high-quality digestion. Dietary nutrition minimizes the risk of complications.
In the absence of the effect of conservative methods, gastroenterologists recommend treatment with surgery and refer for consultation to a surgeon. The method of surgical intervention depends on the diagnosis and the degree of damage to the biliary system.
Minimally invasive surgery methods remain priority:
- laparoscopic choledocholithotomy - removal of stones from the common bile duct (choledochus) through small punctures in the abdomen using endoscopic equipment;
- stenting of the bile ducts - improving the patency of the bile ducts by installing a special device - a stent (tube made of metal or plastic) into the lumen of the common bile duct;
- external drainage of the bile duct - installation of a medical probe into the cavity of the duct to drain bile out.
If an oncological tumor is detected, it is planned to remove it, and, if necessary, radiation and chemotherapy.
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Cholecystitis
With this disease, inflammation of the gallbladder can be observed. In this case, the outflow of bile is impaired, there are congestion not only in the organ itself, but also in the ducts. The disease accompanies gallstone disease, and elderly women are at risk. Quite often the disease appears during pregnancy; it occurs due to compression of the ducts, which occurs during fetal development. An unhealthy diet and consumption of low-quality food also lead to pathology.
If we talk about characteristic symptoms, we can highlight some of them:
- General poisoning of the body.
- Yellowing of the skin and eye sclera.
- Increased body temperature.
- The occurrence of nausea and vomiting.
- Problems with bowel movements, such as constipation.
- General deterioration in health, increased weakness, loss of performance.
- Feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium.
The problem with this pathology is that due to a disruption in the flow of bile, the food entering the body is worse digested. In this case, fats are not completely absorbed into the body. If a person wants to normalize his health, it is important for him to start treatment for the liver and gallbladder on time.
A person will definitely need to start proper therapy and immediately seek help from a doctor. In another situation, the pathology will progress, due to which the condition of the gallbladder and liver will significantly worsen. In case of exacerbation of the pathology, the patient should remain in bed and, if possible, not move independently. It is imperative to call a doctor to understand what measures to take next.
The patient should not eat food, as this will distort the clinical picture. You should also not take medications, especially analgesics, as they will also blur the symptoms. To prevent the development of purulent processes in the liver and gall bladder, you will need to take a hot bath. In the acute form, a person is hospitalized in order to quickly normalize his state of health.
In particular, it is necessary to stop the inflammatory process and undergo a course of treatment with antibacterial drugs. To normalize the secretion of bile, it will be necessary to use antispasmodics. Hepatoprotectors are used to protect liver functions. If cholecystitis has been detected, then you will have to take choleretic medications.
For all diseases of the gallbladder and liver, you have to follow a specific diet. In this case, it is recommended to consult a doctor regarding nutrition, and also find out whether surgical intervention is necessary. Only after this will it be possible to clearly understand exactly how to carry out the treatment.
Biologically active supplements and homeopathy
Dietary supplements and homeopathic preparations are often used in the treatment of pathologies of the hepatobiliary system.
Such products are completely safe. They can be used even during pregnancy and lactation. Most dietary supplements are prescribed to minor patients. Dietary supplements and homeopathic hepatoprotectors relieve inflammation, relieve dyspeptic disorders, effectively combat fatty infiltration of hepatocytes, strengthen the immune system, have a positive effect on bile synthesis, and stabilize its flow.
The best homeopathic medicines and dietary supplements are discussed in the table.
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Diseases of the liver and biliary tract have characteristic symptoms, which can be used to make a preliminary diagnosis of the patient. Modern medicine identifies several main diseases of these organs.
Cholelithiasis
Among diseases of the gallbladder and liver, this pathology is considered common. In this case, stones form in the bladder and in its ducts. Quite often, the disease occurs due to metabolic problems in which bile pigments accumulate. At the same time, they combine with each other, which is why stones appear. If they are not treated in time, then inflammatory disease of the gallbladder and liver may begin.
If we talk about symptoms, they can appear many years after the onset of the pathology. Before this, the disease may not manifest itself in any way. If stones get into the bile ducts, then the person will experience significant discomfort.
Symptoms:
- The sclera of the eyes and skin acquired a yellow tint.
- There is a bitter taste in the mouth.
- Body temperature increased significantly.
- Performance decreases, the person feels weak and constantly tired.
- Chills and convulsions may occur.
- The urine darkens and convulsions occur.
- When stones move, a person feels sharp pain in the right hypochondrium.
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate in such a situation unless you want to make your health worse. It is important to consult a doctor and understand exactly how you can overcome gallbladder and liver disease. In some cases, surgery is required to improve the condition. If the right therapy is selected, then it will be possible to normalize your well-being quite quickly.
General symptoms
To find out what hurts – the liver or the gall bladder, you don’t need to be a doctor. The liver itself cannot hurt, since it has no nerve endings. When the liver enlarges due to hepatosis or inflammation, the capsule in which the organ is located stretches. This can cause aching pain. But the gall pain is more obvious: the sensations are sharp, cutting, pulling, pressing.
The list of characteristic symptoms of liver disease may also indicate problems in a neighboring organ. It is necessary to take action if the following signs are present:
- causeless weakness;
- unusual color of urine and stool;
- enlargement of organs: liver, spleen (not always);
- frequent or recurrent pain in the right hypochondrium;
- yellowish coloration of the skin, sclera, mucous membranes;
- spider veins;
- skin itching;
- muscle and joint pain.
Diagnostics
If any of the listed symptoms are detected, you should contact a therapist or gastroenterologist. In rare cases, an oncologist or surgeon may be needed.
Most often, your doctor will prescribe an ultrasound scan. Today this is one of the most effective methods of research, allowing you to clearly see the organ on the screen, its location, the condition of the tissues, etc. Less commonly, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging can be used for the same purpose.
In cases where it is necessary to analyze the gallbladder tissue, an endoscopic examination is prescribed. It can be combined with ultrasound, then a small sensor is attached to the endoscope.