Adolescent Liver Diseases

1. Ad Adolescent Liver Diseases olescent Liver Diseases Liver is the primary metabolizing organ of the human body, located at the upper right region of the abdominal cavity. One of the foremost functions of liver is to process fats into energy for day-to-day activities. While some amount of fats is necessary to consume, the liver can only metabolize a certain amount of fats, carbohydrates and sugar; excessive consumption of which causes chronic liver diseases. Consumption of fast foods can damage liver, thus, the hepatic health of adolescents is always at risk (who frequently consume fast food). Liver diseases are easy to develop and the onset stages of the same are asymptomatic in nature. It isn't until the liver is highly damaged that the symptoms become visibly prominent. Hepatic illnesses are also pervasive, they rapidly exacerbate. If the amount of fats consumed is more than the amount of fats liver can process, the excess gets accumulated in the liver cells, causing Fatty Liver. Fatty liver, also known as Hepatic Steatosis, causes fats to build up inside the walls of liver cells. It is the onset stage of liver disease, caused by excessive consumption of fats. Fatty liver is mostly an irreversible condition and can be treated by eliminating the primary manifestation of the illness. Detected by blood tests, the condition can progress into a rather harmful one, if left untreated. Accumulation of fats in liver cells, if prolonged, can cause inflammation in the hepatic region, also termed as Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). The inflammation further develops into Cirrhosis, a condition wherein the liver tissues get scarred and are replaced by fibroids. With the progress in damage, liver's ability to function keeps deteriorating, causing over-all illness. According to Dr. Vivek Vij, liver surgeon, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, who has carried out liver transplant in Delhi too among other places; in severe cases of Cirrhosis, there may be a need of liver transplantation to save the patient's life.

2. Fatty liver exhibits mild symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal swelling, fever, fatigue, nausea, pain in the upper right abdominal region and dark colored urine. While the primary cause remains imbalanced diet, there are certain non-dietary causes of fatty liver such as aggravation of liver by Hepatitis C Virus, Diabetes Mellitus, Wilson's disease, Reye's disorder, hyperlipidemia and endocrine disorders, as stated by Dr. Vivek Vij, Liver Transplant Surgeon at ILBS, the Liver transplant in india. Non alcoholic fatty liver disease has been majorly examined in the adolescents, caused by excessive consumption of unhealthy food. Ignoring the hepatic health of adolescents can raise a generation of liver transplant recipients. So, adolescents, be aware of your health!