Causes of liver enlargement and how to cure liver enlargement?
.png "Causes of liver enlargement and how to cure liver enlargement?")
Liver
enlargement is a condition in which the liver becomes abnormally large. The
liver is a vital organ that helps the body filter toxins from the blood and produces
bile, which helps break down fats. An enlarged liver can result from a variety
of conditions, including fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
Treatment for an enlarged liver depends on the underlying cause.
In this
article, we will correct misconceptions. Sometimes the doctor tells the patient
that he has an enlarged liver, and usually when the patient hears the word
hepatomegaly, the patient is shocked because he does not know the meaning of
the word hepatomegaly. In this article, we will talk about the meaning of
hepatomegaly, its causes, methods of diagnosis, and treatment.
What does hepatomegaly mean?
The word
enlargement of the liver means that the size of this liver is larger than
normal, and it does not mean as the patient imagines that he has a tumor or
cancer in the liver.
What are the
causes of an enlarged liver and why is the size of the liver larger than
normal?
If you are
tall, your liver may be a centimeter larger, and this is normal.
What are the pathological causes of hepatomegaly?
Fatty liver.
In about 70
to 80 percent of cases of liver enlargement, the cause is fatty liver, that is,
the presence of a lot of fat on the liver, which leads to its enlargement, as
fatty liver leads to chronic inflammation of the liver, which may cause
cirrhosis of the liver and cancerous tumors in the liver in some cases.
Chronic hepatitis.
Whether it
is a virus due to the B or C virus or autoimmune hepatitis, we have already
talked about it in previous videos about chronic and immune hepatitis.
Liver cirrhosis.
Sometimes
the cause of liver enlargement is the presence of cirrhosis, where the size of
the liver is large due to cirrhosis in the first stage, then the liver shrinks
with time and becomes smaller.
Schistosomiasis.
If the
patient is infected with schistosomiasis, a disease that has existed for a long
time in Egypt and some countries such as Yemen, it is transmitted through
dealing with canals and drains, schistosomiasis causes an enlargement in the
size of the liver.
Heart disease.
A heart
patient with heart failure has an enlarged liver, because of congestion of the
veins inside the liver.
Obstruction or fibrosis of the bile ducts.
The patient
also suffers from chronic obstruction of the bile ducts or fibrosis of the bile
ducts of the liver, which leads to an enlargement of the size of the liver.
Liver tumors.
Finally,
tumors are the cause of liver enlargement, whether tumors originate from
the liver or outside it, such as the stomach or colon, and spread to the liver,
which led to an enlargement in its size.
Or systemic tumors
such as lymphomas and leukemia when reached the liver and led to its
enlargement in size, tumors are not the main cause of liver enlargement.
What are the investigations that should be done in case of an enlarged liver?
Conducting a
liver function test, hepatitis viruses, as well as blood lipids and cumulative
sugar.
It is very
important for the patient to conduct an ultrasound on the abdomen, to check the
condition of the liver and examine the bile ducts and liver veins to ascertain
whether this is congestion in the liver or fat on the liver or inflammation, or
cirrhosis, all of which is clearly visible in the ultrasound.
It is very
important to perform a Fibroscan and we have already talked about it many times
in previous articles
By
performing Fibroscan, the percentage of fat and fiber on the liver is
determined, which is useful in the diagnosis
When
diagnosing the cause of hepatomegly, the treatment phase begins.
What is the treatment of hepatomegaly?
Treatment
for an enlarged liver depends on only one thing: treating the cause of the
enlarged liver.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the normal size of the liver?
The liver
consists of two lobes, the left lobe at the top of the middle of the abdomen
and the right lobe at the top of the right side of the abdomen under the rib
cage. The length of the left lobe ranges between 5-11 cm and the length of the
right lobe ranges between 12-15 cm. The liver cannot be felt under the rib
cage.
Does the liver return to its normal size after treatment?
Yes, the
liver returns to its normal size after treating the cause of the enlarged
liver.
What are the causes of enlarged liver and spleen?
Hepatomegaly
is often associated with the spleen, especially in the presence of chronic
liver diseases such as cirrhosis, chronic inflammation of the liver, fatty
liver, and schistosomiasis. In other cases, the enlargement of the spleen has
nothing to do with liver diseases, such as blood tumors, lymphomas, leukemia,
malaria, typhoid, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and others.
Conclusion:
The word
hepatomegaly is not scary or terrifying. It means that there is a problem in
the liver that we must know and treat, and then the liver will return to its
normal size. I hope I answered your question and now I will leave you with a subtitled video about the same topic.