Liver- Are You Taking Care Of It?

Liver is an organ which works silently. It does not scream for attention till it is too late! We all are aware of what  organs like heart, brain and kidneys do, but miss knowing much about liver.

Do you know what are the normal functions of Liver?
What agents cause damage to it?
How long does it take for liver to "cry"
How you can help yourself
What are the treatment available for liver diseases

Normal Functions of Liver:

Liver is the largest internal organ and gland.

1. Formation of bile which helps in fat digestion.

2. Storage and release of glucose as required.

3. Formation of different proteins which help in multiple functions in the body.

4. Formation of cholesterol.

5. Helps in clotting by synthesizing clotting factors.

6. Metabolises drugs, chemicals and alcohols.

7.Stores iron and also helps in metabolism of hemoglobin.

Agents Causing damage to Liver

1. Alcohol.

2. Overuse and abuse of medicines.

3. Viruses like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis E.

4. Toxins like fungus on groundnut or any other food.

5. Stone in the bile duct.

How long does it take for liver to get damaged?

While as acute cases the damage is immediately visible, in chronic cases it can take 15 to 30 years for liver damage to manifest clinically. The reason being that 70% of the liver needs to get damaged for signs and symptoms to appear.
Prolonged liver damage also is a cause for cancer of the liver.

How you can help yourself?

1.Get screened for Viral hepatitis.

2. Avoid alcohol consumption.

3. Eat hygienic food.

Treatment?

Depends on the cause of liver damage. Today liver transplant is being offered for people with cirrhosis of liver and hepato cellular cancer.

To know more about screening, treatment and prevention get in touch with your family doctor or call us.

Know Your Drug-Paracetamol

You would have taken "Paracetamol" on numerous occasions.  The common brand names available in India are -Crocin, Calpol, Dolo, Paracip. It is also present in many fixed drug combinations for cold and pain.
We highlight the benefits and risks of Paracetamol in this post.

Image:Flickr

Uses:

Many people think paracetamol is only for fever. Paracetamol also has the ability to relieve pain.

Therefore it is used in

• Headache
• Muscle ache
• Toothache
• Arthritis
• Back ache
• Cold &
• Fever

It only reduces the symptoms and does not correct the underlying pathology.

A recent paper mentions that it may not be effective in back ache. Lancet, News. So, we can probably use other placebo drugs for back pain and get the same relief!

Dose:

In children the dose can range from 15 mg/kg to 30 mg/kg up to 12 years.

In Adults: Dose for fever is 325 mg to 650 mg every 6 hours. Not to exceed 3 gm per day.

For pain: 650 mg every 6 hours or 1000 mg every 8 hours. 

Paracetamol in Combination:

For pain control it is available in combination with Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Tramadol.  The dose of paracetamol available in such combinations is 325 mg. Dosage varies, please consult your doctor or use our tele-consultation service.

Side Effects:

Paracetamol is considered a "safe" drug. But it needs to be taken with caution in people who have liver disease. Also overdosing should be avoided.

• a rash or swelling – this could be a sign of an allergic reaction
• hypotension (low blood pressure) when given in hospital by infusion (a continuous drip of medicine into a vein in your arm) 
• liver and kidney damage, when taken at higher-than-recommended doses (overdose)

There have recent data collected from observational research which indicate that "Paracetamol" could be injurious to kidney, liver, gastric mucosa and heart when used for a long time. 

Even though paracetamol is very safe to be taken during pregnancy, reports indicate association with hyperactivity disorders in children. Safe to say that use paracetamol only when necessary under medical supervision. 

Addendum: Added on 16/04/2015

Paracetamol also known as acetaminophen also has been found to reduce the ability to have "pleasure"! Link to new article here

Acetaminophen is also found to increase the risk of few hematological malignancies.  Abstract here

What does this all mean? Be careful about taking drugs indiscriminately.