Liver pain – What to do? | Liver Pain

Liver pain – What to do?

If pain in the liver area persists over a longer period of time, a doctor should always be consulted so that the cause of the complaints can be determined. No arbitrary medication should be taken, as the pain could also be caused by the gallbladder or other organs. In order to relieve the pain acutely, it can be helpful to lie down in a position that is as comfortable as possible and possibly also to place a hot-water bottle on the painful area.

This can have a relaxing effect. If the pain becomes stronger due to the heat, the hot water bottle should be removed immediately. As an alternative to using the hot water bottle alone, a liver compress can also be applied.

To do this, a small towel is dipped in hot water, wrung out well and placed on the liver region. A hot water bottle is placed on top of it and everything is then fixed in place with a large dry towel. The liver wrap remains for about 30 minutes.

In any case, alcohol and fatty foods should be avoided if there are complaints of the liver. However, a sufficient fluid intake in the form of water and unsweetened herbal teas is very important, as this helps the body to flush out toxins quickly. Various tea preparations can have a liver-supporting effect.

These include freshly brewed teas made from milk thistle, artichoke leaves, verbena, daisies or liverwort, yarrow and linseed. A warm bath with the addition of seed oats can also relieve the symptoms. Unless otherwise prescribed by a doctor, the symptoms should not be treated with medication, such as painkillers, as these drugs place additional stress on the liver.

As long as the complaints have not been clarified by a doctor, self-medication should not be used. Home remedies for the treatment of pain in the liver area can be gentle teas such as chamomile, rose hip and peppermint tea, physical protection and complete abstention from alcohol.A hot-water bottle placed on the painful area or alternatively a cool pack wrapped in a towel can also provide relief. The above-mentioned household remedies such as warm teas, physical rest, abstinence from alcohol and a hot-water bottle can help against pain in the liver area.

However, if, for example, inflammation of the gall bladder or gallstones are the cause of pain close to the liver, a doctor should be consulted. This doctor can first prescribe medication to relieve the pain and relieve cramps. If pain recurs as a result of an inflammation of the gallbladder or gallstones, the removal of the gallbladder is indicated.

An excessive amount of alcohol (and other toxins) overtaxes the liver’s detoxification and breakdown capabilities. It swells as it stores increasing amounts of fats and causes liver pain. Even at this stage it loses some of its functions, but is not yet permanently damaged.

If the liver continues to be overtaxed in a chronic manner, cirrhosis of the liver develops. Most of the actual liver cells have already died, which is why the liver begins to shrink and can no longer perform its tasks. As a reaction, connective tissue scarring of the liver (shrunken liver) occurs.

This stage of liver cirrhosis is no longer curable. In addition, the blood supply to the liver lobules deteriorates. This in turn results in a backlog of blood in the portal vein (portal hypertension), which in turn has further negative effects.

The breakdown product of the red blood cells, bilirubin, has a yellowish color in its unbound state (as indirect bilirubin). If the liver does not process enough breakdown products, these substances remain in the blood and discolor the patient slightly yellowish. This yellow color is best seen in the eyes (sclerenicterus).

One speaks of jaundice or, medically, of icterus. One generally speaks of hepatitis when an inflammatory reaction occurs in the liver. This can be caused by toxins (alcohol, medication), viruses (hepatitis viruses A-E), bacteria (salmonella, leptospires), fungi, genetic defects or a misdirected immune reaction.

Acute and chronic forms of hepatitis can be distinguished, but there is rarely the possibility of curative intervention. In any case, it is important to strictly avoid further liver-damaging substances (especially abstinence from alcohol). Liver pain can be caused by liver insufficiency.

One speaks of liver insufficiency (liver weakness) when the liver can no longer adequately perform its functions (see: Function of the liver). This can have very different causes and just as many effects. The function of the liver in the breakdown of drugs is important for the doctor.

The recommended dosages of the drugs include the decomposition capacity of the liver. If the liver’s ability to break down drugs decreases due to liver failure, there are problems in estimating the correct dosage. It is called portal hypertension when the blood flow through the liver is impaired due to pathological conditions (cirrhosis, hepatitis).

Because the blood that is constantly flowing in cannot flow out, but there is a constant influx of blood, it continues to back up into the supplying vessels and increases the pressure there as well. If a blood congestion is triggered due to a weak pumping action of the heart (cardiac insufficiency), the clinical picture of congested liver develops. The blood congests up to the liver lobules, which swell and later die due to the chronically increased pressure.

As in all tissues, a lack of oxygen also leads to a lack of energy in the liver. A great many energy-intensive metabolic processes take place in the liver, so a lack of oxygen quickly threatens the survival of the cells. A special blood protein, alpha-1-antitrypsin, is responsible for inhibiting the activity of other proteins that would lead to tissue destruction as part of an immune reaction.

If, due to a genetic defect, this special protective protein is missing, excessive damage is caused to lung tissue (lung) in particular, but also to the liver, which ultimately leads to irreversible, progressive damage to the tissue (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)). You can learn more about this disease at Alpha-1-Antitrypsin DeficiencyWhen the liver is unable to produce sufficient blood proteins, the body is no longer able to regulate the distribution of fluid inside and outside the blood vessels.There is an excessive leakage of fluid from the blood into the tissues, especially in the lower legs (edema) or abdomen (ascites = water in the abdomen). The protein deficiency can have several causes: If the liver does not have enough building blocks available as a result of malnutrition, it is naturally unable to produce enough protein.

Another common reason is the generally reduced functionality of the liver (liver insufficiency). Gallstones are the deposits (concrements) of crystallized bile components. These gallstones are deposited either in the gall bladder or the bile ducts.

There are 2 main forms of gallstones:

• Cholesterol-containing stones (approx. 90%)
• Bilirubin-containing stones (approx. 10%)

A liver rupture (medically known as a liver rupture) is usually caused by blunt abdominal trauma such as a blow to the abdomen or an unfavorable fall.

A liver rupture often occurs in this way in the context of an accident or sports injury. The rupture of the liver capsule usually leads to very severe pain. In most cases, the ruptured liver must be treated surgically immediately.