can liver damage be repaired?
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The liver is a unique organ. It is the only organ in the body that is able to regenerate. With most organs, such as the heart, the damaged tissue is replaced with scar, like on the skin. The liver, however, is able to replace damaged tissue with new cells.
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Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect the liver. If left untreated, it can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years. But with modern treatments, it's usually possible to cure the infection, and most people with it will have a normal life expectancy.
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Fortunately, it can be reversed if addressed at an early stage. Following a healthy diet, increasing physical activity and perhaps taking supplements can reduce excess liver fat and decrease the risk of its progression to more serious liver disease.
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Some alcohol-related liver damage can be reversed if you stop drinking alcohol early enough in the disease process. Healing can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months.
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When your liver is damaged, it puts more AST into your blood, and your levels rise. A high AST level is a sign of liver damage, but it can also mean you have damage to another organ that makes it, like your heart or kidneys. That's why doctors often do the AST test together with tests of other liver enzymes.
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There is no cure for cirrhosis, but removing the cause can slow the disease. If the damage is not too severe, the liver can heal itself over time.
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High levels of the liver enzyme ALT can be a sign of liver damage. People can lower their ALT levels by making lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and changing their diet.
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This process could take as few as four weeks or as long as several years. It really all depends on the health of the individual person. This might seem like a frustrating answer, but it's an honest one. To be sure, you cannot heal your liver overnight.
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You may need a liver transplant if your liver is damaged to the point where it is unable to repair itself and is likely to fail completely. Your doctor may advise you to have a transplant when it is thought this will either dramatically improve your quality of life or that, without a transplant, you will die.
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In order to be eligible for a liver transplant: You must have chronic irreversible liver disease that has not responded to other medical or surgical treatments. You must qualify for, and be able to, tolerate major surgery.
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As little as 25% of your liver can regrow to its original size. After you donate, your liver function returns to normal in two to four weeks, and your liver will slowly regrow to nearly its full original size in about a year.
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Treating the symptoms with rest, water, and aspirin is likely to be the best treatment for some time to come. Eating a hearty meal beforehand and drinking slowly can help keep the levels of alcohol and other substances your liver and the rest of your body have to deal with at a manageable level throughout the night.
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The liver damage done by cirrhosis generally can't be undone. But if liver cirrhosis is diagnosed early and the cause is treated, further damage can be limited and, rarely, reversed.
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The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate. This can result in serious and permanent damage to your liver.
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Simple fatty liver typically does not get bad enough to cause liver damage or complications. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in which you have inflammation and liver cell damage, as well as fat in your liver. Inflammation and liver cell damage can cause fibrosis, or scarring, of the liver.
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In adults, jaundice itself usually isn't treated. But your doctor will treat the condition that's causing it. If you have acute viral hepatitis, jaundice will go away on its own as the liver begins to heal. If a blocked bile duct is to blame, your doctor may suggest surgery to open it.
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Since people with a lot of alcoholic liver damage can no longer metabolize alcohol very well, these people can get very intoxicated on small quantities of alcohol--much smaller quantities than are needed to affect the person who rarely drinks.