How Do I Know I Have Hepatomegaly?

The organs in the body are very delicate parts of us that must not be toyed with. When damage comes to them, remedying them may take a lifetime, and if there is a need for replacement, you would almost break a bank to get a replacement.

This is why when you notice symptoms of health conditions that you do not understand, report to the doctor immediately to commence treatment. Waiting till those conditions get complicated and begin to damage vital organs in the body can threaten your life.

Bad lifestyle habits and poor eating habits can tamper with your organs, and you obviously do not want this for yourself. This is why this article will be focusing on a particular health condition that is mostly precipitated by poor lifestyle and eating habits.

Simple modifications to these aspects of your life can protect your organs from damage. The focal lens of this article is fixed on a liver condition medically known as hepatomegaly.

What is Hepatomegaly?

Hepatomegaly is a health condition that is characterized by the enlargement of the liver beyond its normal size. According to research, the liver is the biggest of all the organs in the body. One fun fact about the liver is, cutting a damaged part of the liver can cause it to regenerate.

Thus, it is the only organ in the human body that can regenerate after a part of it has been cut off. This makes it one of the easiest organs to donate, as cutting off a part of your liver for donation will not harm you because your liver will grow back into its normal size. Also, the transplanted part will grow into the normal size of a liver.

The complete absence of the liver in a human being can grossly threaten the life of such an individual. This is because there will be no other organ to carry out the functions of the liver. No organ in the body apart from the liver can perform the following functions:

• Production of proteins and hormones
• Controlling the process of blood clotting
• Digestion of fats
• Elimination of toxins from the body
• Breaking down medications
• Combating infection
• Storing glycogen

If you have an enlarged liver, you could be suffering from any of the following conditions;

• Infection
• Liver diseases
• Toxin poisoning
• Genetic disease
• Cancer
• Abnormality of the blood vessels and heart.

Symptoms of Hepatomegaly

• Severe pain in the abdomen
• Extreme tiredness
• Jaundice
• Vomiting and nausea
• Coffee color vomit
• Fever, if the hepatomegaly is triggered by infection
• Heartburn
• Loss of appetite
• Reflux of bile
• Itching
• Bright red colored stool

If you detect any of these manifestations, you might need to report to a doctor to check your symptoms and diagnose the condition that may be precipitating it, as you may be suffering from hepatomegaly. If your symptoms are offshoots of hepatomegaly, immediate treatment will commence upon an early report in order to prevent it from escalating.

Risk Factors of Hepatomegaly

With these factors in place, hepatomegaly is almost inevitable. The following are people who may suffer from hepatomegaly;

• People who consume excess alcohol; this is a bad lifestyle and habit that can put not just your liver in danger but also other vital organs in your body.
• People suffering from hepatitis A, B, and C; research has shown that people suffering from any type of hepatitis have a higher chance of developing hepatomegaly.
• People who take drugs overdose; the overuse of medications tells in the liver. Sometimes, drugs like vitamin C that do not have specific dosages may be misused by people, especially due to its appealing taste. However, this act could damage your liver if you continue. Just like vitamin C, when other drugs are overused, they can cause severe damage to your liver.
• Infections can also be risk factors of hepatomegaly. When you are infected with certain kinds of viruses or bacteria, you may suffer from hepatomegaly.
• People who have poor eating habits; following a poor diet like eating unhealthy sugar and preservative-laden processed foods can attack your liver.
• People who are fans of herbal supplements; some herbs are known to be triggers of hepatomegaly. When they are used, they cause the liver to swell. This is why it is important to watch the kind of herbs you take. Do not jump at just any herb and begin to use it. Rather, consult a herbalist or expert before taking herbs. This will help you know which is suitable and best for your health.

Causes of Hepatomegaly

Hepatomegaly indicates that damage has been caused to the liver. The following are possible causes of hepatomegaly.

Faulty blood vessels; could be a result of a blockage in the vessels that carry blood to or drain blood from the liver. When the liver does not get enough blood or blood does not leave the liver at the appropriate time, it may cause the liver to begin to swell. This abnormality has to be treated to eliminate hepatomegaly.

Chronic scarring on the liver; is a condition medically known as cirrhosis. It occurs when too many toxins are deposited into the liver. When the liver experiences this, it begins to swell and manifest painful and uncomfortable symptoms.

Metastatic cancer; these are cancers that start in other parts of the body and spread to the liver. When cancer graduates to the liver, the liver becomes severely damaged, and if proper care is not taken, the condition may be irredeemable. This can threaten your life severely and could possibly lead to death.

The assemblage of fat in the liver that is not caused by alcohol use; is a condition medically known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This could be a result of what you eat rather than what you drink. When fat is deposited into the liver, hepatomegaly may set in if it is left untreated for a long time.

Liver cancer; is a kind of cancer that originates from the liver. This can also cause chronic hepatomegaly. Treating hepatomegaly caused by cancer involves the treatment of cancer itself first. When this is done, the hepatomegaly improves with little or no treatment at all.

Alcoholic liver disease; these are conditions that target the liver. It mostly occurs from the excessive use of alcohol. To avoid hepatomegaly, it is best to quit alcohol completely, or if you must take it, make sure you consume it in very tiny quantities. Failure to do this will place you on the path that leads to hepatomegaly.

Chronic infections can also cause hepatomegaly. Studies have shown that viral infections are most likely to cause liver infections that may trigger hepatomegaly. Some viral infections that harm the liver include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

Growths like cysts and tumors that spread to the liver can also cause the liver to swell rapidly due to the pressure and effect of these growths.

When obesity is not managed properly, hepatomegaly may be inevitable.

Prevention of Hepatomegaly

• Follow a nutritive diet and maintain a healthy eating habit
• Take appropriate doses of drugs. Do not overuse any
• Quit smoking and avoid excessive alcohol consumption
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid having too much contact with toxins and chemicals that may damage your liver.
• Take herbal supplements with caution.

Treatment

It is obvious from above that hepatomegaly is caused by underlying health conditions. In other words, treating the health condition is a fantastic way to treat the enlarged liver. Treating hepatomegaly without investigating first into what its cause could be may not yield any positive results at all.

However, when the problem is rooted out from its core, the hepatomegaly automatically disappears. This is why it is important to report symptoms on time so that the underlying cause of your hepatomegaly can be detected and treated immediately. It is also important to combine the treatment of your health condition with a healthy lifestyle and eating habits for a speedy recovery.

Conclusion

Hepatomegaly is a medical term that is used to describe the abnormal enlargement of the liver. Many factors can trigger hepatomegaly, and identifying these factors and treating them first will help in the elimination of hepatomegaly.

Preventing hepatomegaly if you have never had it at all is also important; all you need to do is ensure you live a healthy life by avoiding lifestyles and diets or eating habits that may put your life at risk.