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Hepatitis Part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog on this topic, we began with some background information such as just what is hepatitis? What causes hepatitis? And what are the symptoms you might experience with hepatitis? If you haven’t read the first …
Hepatitis Part 1
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
When I first began to even just think about a series on our liver and kidney health, I knew it was important to to write about hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is a huge problem worldwide. In fact, according to the World health organization viral hepatitis is the second leading infectious cause of death globally. (1) But just what is hepatitis? What causes it? What are the long-term complications? And just what if anything can we do to reduce our risk factors? As you can guess there is an awful lot to cover so to keep it from becoming overwhelming, I will be splitting this topic into two parts. So, let us get into it, shall we?
Let us start with the simple question of just what is hepatitis? Hepatitis is when there is inflammation in your liver. Just like with cirrhosis anything that can cause injury to your liver can trigger inflammation or hepatitis. Depending on what is triggering the hepatitis it can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic). (2) Please look at the attached picture so you can compare an inflamed liver to a healthy liver. (3)
While there is more than one type of hepatitis I will be focusing on viral hepatitis and alcohol induced hepatitis because these are the types that I get the most questions about. Just so your familiar with the other types I will list them here. These include toxic hepatitis, metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis and autoimmune hepatitis.
One of the differences between viral hepatitis and alcoholic induced hepatitis is that viral hepatitis is contagious, and alcohol induce hepatitis is not. Let us look at the types of viral hepatitis? Well, there is hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Other viral infections linked to viral help include Epstein Barr virus and cytomegalovirus. Regarding alcohol use and hepatitis everyone has a different tolerance, and this tolerance changes what levels will trigger inflammation and thus lead to alcohol induced hepatitis. (2) One of the concerns in those that have alcohol induced hepatitis or inflammation is that it can leave them at a higher risk of contracting viral hepatitis. So, to answer the question of can you get more than just one type of hepatitis a time the answer is that in a roundabout way yes you can. To put this in simple terms – Alcohol induced hepatitis or even just overall excessive alcohol intake can and does increase the risk of viral hepatitis. (4)
What are the signs and symptoms of hepatitis? In the initial stages of hepatitis, you may notice few if any symptoms. As the disease progresses you will start to see more severe symptoms. This is because the liver is less able to do all its jobs correctly. In general, you may notice nausea, loss of appetite and even fatigue. You may have upper abdominal pain and even a fever. Eventually you may notice jaundice and even changes to the color of your urine and stool. You may notice pruritus, or itchy skin. Over time you may develop something called hepatic encephalopathy, which presents as confusion, disorientation or even drowsiness. (2)
Our next blog on this topic will talk about how viral and alcohol induced hepatitis present. I will also be talking about important risk factors for hepatitis as well as any complications that can occur. Finally, I will be reviewing supplements that that can help to reduce risk factors for hepatitis as well as things to help our overall liver health. As a preview I will just say that this will include classics such as NAC, Milk Thistle and even Glutathione!
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Hepatox Hx Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Invite Health has quite a selection of nutrients that are good for both our liver and kidneys. One such item is called Hepatox. It has a funny name I know but this particular supplement is a combination of …
What exactly is Liver Cirrhosis? Part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND This is part 2 of our discussion on cirrhosis. If you haven’t read the first part I suggest you do that first since it will contain important background information. In this blog I …
What exactly is Liver Cirrhosis?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
In my experience as a Naturopath cirrhosis of the liver is one of the most confusing disorders that people can experience. What exactly even is cirrhosis? What cause’s it? What are the symptoms one might experience? What are the possible complications? And lastly what steps can be taken to reduce the risk factors for cirrhosis and improve liver health? It’s a lot to talk about so I will be breaking this into 2 parts. This is so it doesn’t become too overwhelming.
Basically cirrhosis is severe scarring of the liver. When the cells of the liver are damaged for any reason the cells will try to repair themselves. Unfortunately in this process scar tissue forms. This scaring, or cirrhosis makes it hard for the liver to do its job well. (1) In a way it’s like when you get a scar on your skin after an injury. The skin is never quite the same. Well in this case the scar tissue that replaces the healthy liver tissue doesn’t have the same properties or abilities as a healthy liver. Thus as the cirrhosis, or scar tissue progresses (or takes over more of the liver) there is less and less healthy liver to do its job and thus symptoms get worse. Please take a look at the attached picture. (2)
So just what can cause this scarring of the liver, or cirrhosis? Well as I said anything that damages the liver can lead to cirrhosis. As I said in my blog on fatty liver have NAFLD is a possible cause of cirrhosis. Please read my blog for suggestions to help reduce the risk of fatty liver! Having a history of hepatitis, either viral or autoimmune can lead to cirrhosis. Other chronic conditions that can lead to cirrhosis include hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, glycogen storage disease and Alagille syndrome. Wilson’s disease can also lead to cirrhosis. Certain diseases that affect our gallbladder can also lead to cirrhosis. Certain infections other than hepatitis can also lead to cirrhosis. These include syphilis. Lastly certain medications can increase your risk of developing cirrhosis. If you have any concerns about your medications it is always important to talk to your doctor. (1)
Cirrhosis is considered to be a progressive condition that worsens over time. As the disease progresses the symptoms will become worse. The reason for this is because over time more and more of the liver is replaced with that scar tissue thus as I said there is less of the healthy liver available to do its job. Please see the attached picture. (3)
As for lab work I will refer you to my blog on this topic. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me and I will be happy to review your blood work! Now just what are they signs of liver cirrhosis? Well you may notice you feel fatigue. You may notice the development of spider veins as well as bruising and easy bleeding. You may start to feel nausea which can reduce appetite and even lead to weight loss. Your skin may become itchy. There may be a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes (this is jaundice) and redness in the palms of the ands. There may be edema/ swelling in the legs, feet or ankles. There may be ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen). Changes in the nails can include becoming a pale color and clubbing or roundness to the nail. (1) Later stages may include confusion, disorientation and even mood changes. There may be changes to your urine and feces in color and there may even be blood in your stool. There may also be blood in your vomit. You may develop motor dysfunctions such as tremors. You may notice that you have difficulty with digesting fats. Women may experience menstrual cycle disruptions and men may experience enlarged breast tissue and shrunken testes. Lastly in the long run there may be low urine output and even shortness of breath. (3)
In our next blog we will talk about complications of cirrhosis and even review some things that can help with overall liver health. These nutrients will include Milk Thistle, NAC and even surprisingly Turmeric!
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