Posted On: 2023-04-21 11:59:41
The liver is the second largest organ and serves a very important function in our body. It plays a vital role in metabolism, digestion, immunity, filtration of toxins, and storage of vitamins, minerals, and glucose.
Every year, the 19th of April is celebrated as World Liver Day. The objective of this day is to raise awareness about the dangers of liver disease. Various activities are conducted on this day, pertaining to making people aware bout the severity, early detection and prevention of liver diseases.
As Usual, World Liver Day has a theme. The theme for this year is ‘Be vigilant, do a regular liver check-up, fatty liver can affect anyone.’ The objective of the theme is to encourage people to do regular liver checkups.
Even though the Liver has the property of self-healing, any damage can greatly harm your health and shorten your lifespan. So in this article, we will stress the dangers of liver disease, its prevention and how to detect it.
According to British Liver Trust, deaths due to liver disease have increased by 400% since 1970. It is the third leading cause of premature death in the United Kingdom. In India, liver diseases account for 3.17% of deaths.
Liver diseases come in various types, which include viral infections (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C), Autoimmune diseases (Primary Biliary Cholangitis and Autoimmune Hepatitis), Genetic (Wilson disease, and Hemochromatosis), Cancer, and Alcohol-related diseases.
Some of the most common symptoms of liver disease may include jaundice, abdominal pain, easy bruising, change in urine colour, nausea, vomiting, or swelling of limbs. Therefore, it is advisable to get your liver checked upon experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms.
There are some factors that might increase your chances of liver disease. The most important factor is heavy alcohol usage. Other factors may include obesity, diabetes, drug usage, blood transfusion before the year 1992, exposure to other people’s blood, unprotected sex, exposure to certain chemicals and family history of liver disorders.
We have talked about the dangers, and some signs to help you detect liver diseases. But prevention is better than cure. So, we are going to talk about how to prevent liver diseases.
The best way to prevent liver diseases is to limit your alcohol dosage. No more than two glasses should be drunk per day. It is also recommended to avoid unprotected sex and make sure to check the sanitation of needles while visiting the tattoo shop. Vaccines are also available for hepatitis A and B. Do not take drugs which are not prescribed to you and always follow the recommended dosage.
Always make sure that your food is hygienic and clean. Drinking bottled water, brushing your teeth and washing your hands are always helpful. If you are a farmer, always wear gloves, long sleeves, a hat and a mask while spraying pesticides, insecticides, fungicides and other toxic chemicals. It is also important to maintain a healthy weight.
We hope that our advice can be fruitful and help you live a healthy lifestyle. If you know of anyone, who is suffering from liver disease, you can start a crowdfunding page on our very own website. Please remember to share this blog, to make more people aware of the dangers of liver diseases.
Author: Adil Sayyad
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