Liver has an imperative role to play in our life, which we know very well, but choose to ignore it. It is red in color, very soft but you’re unable to feel it from outside because it is protected by your rib cage. It is situated on the right-hand side of your abdomen and doesn’t weigh more than three pounds.
We know that liver is the most important organ in the body and one cannot stay without it. Therefore, negligence or failure of this organ leads to death. Thanks to liver transplant that has made life a bit easier for people who have been suffering from liver failure for years.
Dr Gurunath Reddy is trained at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas in Liver diseases, Gastroenterology and Nutrition. He has been in this profession since 1988. His success rate is higher than any other doctor in Houston and was voted as one of the leading doctors in Houston Magazine. According to him, these are the symbols of liver failure –
- Jaundice or Hepatitis B
- Unnecessary fatigue
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Bleeding without clotting
- Dark urine and black stool
- Fluid storage in abdomen
- Swelling in feet and ankles
Liver transplants are suggested only when there is massive injury to liver. These symptoms if not treated properly can lead to organ failure. The injury can happen due to any disease or viral infection. Chronic liver disease is the end stage of liver function. This paralyses your liver and stops it from functioning at all.
Liver transplant isn’t an easy job but various factors are considered before undergoing this process –
- Patient’s history with the treatment process.
- The percentage of survival after transplant.
- Other disease that patient has which can affect the human body.
- If the patient’s heath will support such process.
Sometimes when a match is not found for the patient, then one of the family member can donate the organ. There are many factors that are considered before, during and after the transplant. It isn’t necessary that you will get a positive signal from the receiver’s end. That is why the patient is kept under observation in the hospital for two or three weeks to avoid any kind of infection.
Mild liver damages can be cured with medicine, but when the damage is chronic then transplant is necessary. The most general reason for liver failure is too much consumption of alcohol and unhealthy diet and reaction to any medicine.