Liver Problems from Diabetes
Diabetes, no matter what type, concerns the processing as well as the use of blood sugar in your body. When insufficient insulin is released by the pancreas to regulate the amount of glucose in the bloodstream, the result is type 1 diabetes. When insulin produced by the pancreas cannot be used by the body to regulate the amount of sugar in the bloodstream, type 2 diabetes results. The diabetes medications and the complications from diabetes can give the liver problems.
Types
Poorly managed blood sugar levels are a causative factor of non-alcoholic fatty liver. For some lucky patients, this disease does not have any symptoms and bring other health problems. However, for some, the disease leads to liver inflammation and scarring or cirrhosis. With the liver scarred, it is just a matter of time before liver function is impaired. Finally liver failure occurs.
Fatty liver, then inflammation and scarring as well as cirrhosis are the stages experienced by patients of liver disease as one of the complications of diabetes. To give the liver the best opportunity to heal, treatment must be given before scarring of the liver occurs.
Identification
Many liver disease patients have no symptoms, and even if they do show, these symptoms are not easy to detect. These symptoms could be pain in the top, right hand side of the stomach, unexpected loss of weight, and fatigue.
Blood tests to know the enzymes of the liver in blood can be used to identify the condition. If your doctor believes that the condition has reached a serious stage, biopsy to have a look at the tissues of the liver may be done.
Liver Disease Symptoms – Learning to recognize and understand Liver Disease
Prevention
Type 2 diabetics ought to be conscious of their susceptibility to liver problems as a result of poor blood sugar management. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be prevented with balanced meals to control cholesterol, by losing weight and through good management of blood glucose levels.
Treatment
If no treatment is given, liver damage can worsen to cirrhosis before liver failure is reached. This progression of the condition can be avoided with good management of diabetes to ensure the blood glucose levels are under control. When non-alcoholic fatty liver is due to obesity, diet and weight loss are used in its treatment.
When liver disease is due to cholesterol medications, the doctor can either stop the medication or replace the medication with another which will not result in liver damage.
Consideration
Changes in lifestyle can assist to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver from worsening. The changes in lifestyle which can help to manage liver disease’s effects are controlling diabetes, reducing cholesterol and reducing weight.
Diabetes: Protecting the liver
If I am a diabetic, what should I do to look after my liver?
The best ways to avoid getting fatty liver disease are given below:
- You and your health care team must work together to have your levels of blood glucose under control.
- Reduce weight if necessary and always maintain the right weight for your height.
- Follow doctor’s suggestions on lowering your blood pressure.
- Reduce your LDL or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as well as a type of fat in the blood called triglycerides which are bad for your heart.
- Put a limit on your alcohol consumption.
If you have just been diagnosed with diabetes, a check on your liver using the ultrasound may be suggested by your doctor. Then, this will be followed up with blood tests to regularly check on the functioning of your liver.