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Fatty liver disease symptoms: The signs liver scarring is ‘blocking liver function’

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Monkeypox: Health agency urges people to look out for symptoms

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The NHS explains early-stage NAFLD does not usually cause any harm, but it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, if it gets worse. The Cleveland Clinic says: “Cirrhosis of the liver is a result of severe damage to the liver. The hard scar tissue that replaces healthy liver tissue slows down the liver’s functioning. Eventually, it can block liver function entirely. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and liver cancer.”

The Cleveland Clinic says people with fatty liver disease often have no symptoms until the disease progresses to cirrhosis of the liver.

It says if you do have symptoms, they may include:

  • Abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of the abdomen
  • Nausea, loss of appetite or weight loss
  • Yellowish skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
  • Swollen abdomen and legs (oedema)
  • Extreme tiredness or mental confusion
  • Weakness.

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man yawning

The NHS says cirrhosis is “the most severe stage” of NAFLD occurring after years of inflammation. (Image: GETTY)

The NHS adds: “There are not usually any symptoms of NAFLD in the early stages. You probably will not know you have it unless it’s diagnosed during tests carried out for another reason.”

It explains NAFLD is often diagnosed after a blood test called a liver function test produces an abnormal result and other liver conditions, such as hepatitis, are ruled out.

The condition may also be spotted during an ultrasound scan of your tummy, the health body says.

“This is a type of scan where sound waves are used to create an image of the inside of your body,” it states.

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Your liver may keep working even when you have cirrhosis. However, cirrhosis can eventually lead to liver failure, and you can get serious complications, which can be life threatening, according to the health body.

The NHS warns that if you develop severe cirrhosis and your liver stops working properly, you may need to be put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.

“Or it may be possible to have a transplant using a section of liver removed from a living donor,” explains the health body.

It adds: “As the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor’s liver are able to regrow to a normal size.”

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The NHS says if cirrhosis gets worse, some of the symptoms and complications include:

  • Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
  • Vomiting blood
  • Itchy skin
  • Dark pee and tarry-looking poo
  • Bleeding or bruising easily
  • Swollen legs (oedema) or tummy (ascites) from a build-up of fluid
  • Loss of sex drive (libido)

The health body advises that people see a GP if they think they may have cirrhosis.

OVERWEIGHT BODY

Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cirrhosis. (Image: GETTY)

The Mayo Clinic says that risk factors include:

  • Drinking too much alcohol . Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cirrhosis.
  • Being overweight. Being obese increases your risk of conditions that may lead to cirrhosis, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
  • Having viral hepatitis. Not everyone with chronic hepatitis will develop cirrhosis, but it’s one of the world’s leading causes of liver disease.

It states: “If you’re concerned about your risk of liver cirrhosis, talk to your doctor about ways you can reduce your risk.”

Does high blood pressure make you tired? The symptoms and complications to be aware of

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

Dr Chris Steele shares diet tips on reducing blood pressure

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High blood pressure means your heart is having to work extra hard to pump blood around your body. As a result it not only puts extra strain on the heart and blood vessels, but other organs, like the brain, kidneys and eyes. So aside from the well known complications that can arise such as heart attack and stroke , hypertension can also lead to kidney disease.

According to NHS Inform, high blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in your kidneys and “stop them from working properly”.

If this happens it is likely you will feel more tired than usual.

And other symptoms of this will include:

  • Swollen ankles, feet or hands (due to water retention)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Blood and/or protein in your urine
  • Urinating more often, particularly at night (nocturia)
  • Itchy skin

READ MORE: Fatty liver disease: The simple lifestyle change researchers say can stave off condition

Blood pressure

High blood pressure: Tiredness could be a sign of kidney disease (Image: Getty Images)

It explains: “Kidney disease can be treated using a combination of medication and dietary supplements.

“Cases that are more serious may require dialysis (a treatment where waste products are artificially removed from the body) or a kidney transplant.”

It is “rare” a person will experience symptoms of hypertension alone.

However, they can occur if someone has “very high” blood pressure.

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These can include:

  • Headaches
  • Blurred or double vision
  • Regular nosebleeds
  • Shortness of breath

NHS Inform advises people to see their GP “as soon as possible” if you display these symptoms.

Hypertension can also lead to blood clots, also known as thrombosis.

Blood pressure

More than a quarter of adults in the UK have high blood pressure (Image: Getty Images)

This is a “serious condition” that is caused by blood clots within the blood vessels

Or it can lead to an aneurysm, which is caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall, which forms a bulge in the blood vessel.

There are a number of lifestyle changes that can work to prevent high blood pressure.

Among these are eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine and avoiding smoking.

Blood pressure

What is high blood pressure? (Image: Express.co.uk)

Some patients with high blood pressure are prescribed different medications to keep it under control.

Blood pressure is measured with two numbers – the systolic pressure (higher number) is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body.

And the diastolic pressure (lower number) is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels.

Ideal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg, while high blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher.

David Bowie: ‘He fought like a lion’ Star’s 18-month battle with – hard to spot symptoms

by www.express.co.uk Leave a Comment

David Bowie performs Let’s Dance on US TV in 2002

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The star passed away just two days after the release of his 26th studio album, Blackstar. Memorials for the star were created all across the world in the hours following his death, including in Brixton, London, the area where the singer was born. The Heroes singer’s death was made all the more shocking as he kept his liver cancer diagnosis from public knowledge, only telling his closest friends and family. The disease first affected the singer back in 2014 when Bowie turned up to the recording studio of his final album with no hair or eyebrows as a result of chemotherapy, then and there he swore everyone he worked with to secrecy.

Things were starting to look up for the star as by mid-2015 he was in remission – but sadly, in November of that same year, the cancer returned and this time it was terminal, having spread around his body.

Prior to his death, Bowie had been working with director Ivo Van Hove on a new stage show titled Lazarus, which Bowie soon realised he would not be able to make the show’s debut in New York back in 2015.

Speaking about Bowie’s “courageous” battle with cancer shortly after his death, Hove said: “We began collaborating on our show Lazarus and at some point he took me to one side to say that he wouldn’t always be able to be there due to his illness. He told me he had cancer, liver cancer.

“The cast didn’t know all that time, and I suspect that the musicians with whom he recorded ‘Blackstar’ didn’t know either.

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David Bowie

David Bowie: The star passed away back in 2016 (Image: Getty)

“He made every effort to complete those two projects on time, not to let his illness win.

“Bowie was still writing on his deathbed, you could say. He fought like a lion and kept working like a lion through it all. I had incredible respect for that.”

Bowie’s close friends, including actor Gary Oldman also commented on the star’s remarkable attitude towards fighting the disease. Revealing that Bowie used to joke about his appearance as his illness and the gruelling treatment caused him to lose a lot of weight.

Oldman shared: “He faced his illness with enormous courage, dignity, grace and customary humour – even in dire circumstances,” Gary said.

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“When he wrote to tell me the bad news, he added, ‘The good news is I’ve got my cheekbones back.'”

Bowie remained optimistic throughout his treatment but even before battling cancer, in the years beforehand it was reported that he suffered from a whopping six heart attacks, some of which occurred when the star was out on tour.

In the 2018 documentary David Bowie: The Last Five Years, Bowie’s bandmates were seen recalling how the star had developed symptoms and was starting to “hunch” over when backstage.

“We finished the show and then it seemed like David was in a lot of pain, and obviously something was wrong,” guitarist Gerry Leonard recalled.

David Bowie

David Bowie: The star was having chemotherapy before he was told his cancer was terminal (Image: Getty)

Liver cancer

The liver is the second largest organ in the body after your skin. It is situated below the right lung and is protected by the lower ribs on the right side of your body. Liver cancer develops when cells within the area start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.

Affecting around 6,200 people each year (17 new cases every day) it makes liver cancer one the the most prolific in the UK. What makes it even more of a concern is the fact that many individuals do not have any signs or symptoms in the early stages.

The NHS explains that symptoms of liver cancer can include the following:

  • Your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow (jaundice), you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual
  • Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
  • Feeling tired or having no energy
  • Feeling generally unwell or having symptoms like flu
  • A lump in the right side of your tummy.

Others will find that they feel sick, have a pain at the top right side of their tummy or suffer from symptoms associated with indigestion which develop soon after eating.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer: The condition affects around 6,200 people in the UK each year (Image: Getty)

Symptoms are similar for several different forms of liver cancer, the most common of which is known as secondary liver cancer, which tends to spread to other areas in the body apart from the lungs. Primary liver cancer is more uncommon.

Liver cancer is often treatable but tends to depend on various factors such as the type of cancer, the size, if it has spread and the location. If liver cancer is found early, is small and it has not spread, you may be able to have surgery to remove it.

Other forms of treatment include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and using targeted medicines which aims to stop the cancer from growing and kill cancer cells.

If an individual has advanced liver cancer it might be very hard to treat. It may not be possible to cure cancer. If this is the case, the aim of treatment will be to limit the cancer and its symptoms, and help you live longer.

Medical Staff in Argentina to be Tried for Diego Maradona’s Death

by www.news18.com Leave a Comment

Eight medical personnel will stand trial for alleged criminal neglect causing Argentine football legend Diego Maradona to die in bed while receiving post-surgery care.

A judge on Wednesday ordered a culpable homicide trial for the eight, who include Maradona’s family doctor and nurses, based on evidence that they had failed to take “action that could have prevented the death” in November 2020.

No trial date has been set.

Maradona died aged 60 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot, and after decades of battles with cocaine and alcohol addictions.

He was found dead in bed two weeks after going under the knife, in a rented house in an exclusive Buenos Aires neighbourhood where he was brought after being discharged from hospital.

He was found to have died of a heart attack.

A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina’s public prosecutor concluded last year that Maradona’s treatment was rife with “deficiencies and irregularities.”

It said the footballer “would have had a better chance of survival” with adequate treatment in an appropriate medical facility.

The experts found his caregivers had abandoned the idolized player to his fate for a “prolonged, agonizing period” leading up to his death.

Prosecutors asked for his caregivers to be put on trial for negligent homicide, charging that they had abandoned him “to his fate.”

The eight will stand trial on a legal definition of homicide characterized by negligence committed in the knowledge that it may lead to a person’s death.

Reckless treatment

Charged in the case are neurosurgeon and family doctor Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, psychologist Carlos Diaz, medical coordinator Nancy Forlini, nursing coordinator Mariano Perroni, nurses Ricardo Almiron and Dahiana Madrid, and clinician Pedro Paglo Di Spagna.

Prosecutors have charged the defendants with being “the protagonists of an unprecedented, totally deficient and reckless hospitalization at home.”

They risk sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison.

All of them have denied responsibility and none are in pre-trial detention.

An investigation was opened following a complaint filed by two of Maradona’s five children against Luque, whom they blame for their father’s deterioration after the operation.

Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest footballers in history.

The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star suffered from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.

He became an idol to millions of Argentines after he inspired the South American country to their second World Cup triumph in 1986.

The court ruling came as Argentina celebrated its Day of the Footballer commemorating Maradona’s performance in the 1986 quarter-final against England, when he scored the infamous “hand of God” goal and then the “Goal of the Century” as voted in a FIFA poll.

His death shocked fans around the world, and tens of thousands queued to file past his coffin, draped in the Argentine flag, at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires amid three days of national mourning.

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COVID-19: Samples collected from central, south, southeast Delhi show presence of BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron

by economictimes.indiatimes.com Leave a Comment

Synopsis

The findings were discussed at a meeting on June 17 by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), which reviewed the COVID-19 data to check the possibility of any new emerging variant or sub-variant and ascertain the reasons behind the breakthrough infections.

The BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron has been found in some samples collected from central, south and southeast Delhi between May and June 16, official sources said on Monday.

The findings were discussed at a meeting on June 17 by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), which reviewed the COVID-19 data to check the possibility of any new emerging variant or sub-variant and ascertain the reasons behind the breakthrough infections.

Almost five per cent of the samples genome sequenced from central and south east Delhi tested positive for the BA.5 sub-variant and nearly two per cent samples from south Delhi showed its presence. Most of the samples were found to have the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.

According to experts, BA.5 is highly transmissible but does not lead to severe infection.

Sources said a few samples from Delhi that were sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for genome sequencing tested positive for the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-strains of Omicron, which had triggered the surge in the number of cases in January.

They also said two of the 30 samples genome sequenced at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences showed the presence of the BA.5 sub-strain. The samples were sent to the laboratory between June 1 and June 16.

“BA.4 and BA.5 are the offsprings of BA.2 and BA.1 and they have undergone mutation. The mutation that has happened has given them a more pronounced characteristic of evading the immunity generated by Omicron that had triggered the infection surge in January,” Lalit Kant, the former head of the epidemiology and communicable diseases department in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said.

He said the mutation has increased the transmissibility of the virus by 10 to 15 times.

“If Omicron was faster spreading than Delta , then these are more transmissible. This is the information we have got so far from the work done outside India. In South Africa, it started in January and by March-April, BA.4 and BA.5 replaced the entire original strain. Even in the US and Europe, BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading fast and replacing the previous sub-variants,” Kant added.

The senior scientist said the experiences of other countries show that these sub-variants do not cause severe infection or lead to an increase in hospitalisation. These are also able to escape the immunity generated by vaccination.

“BA.5 spreads faster and in some cases, it is also replacing BA.4. Vaccinated people fare better than unvaccinated people but the immunity starts declining six-seven months after immunisation,” Kant said.

Delhi has been witnessing a rising number of Covid cases with the single-day figure breaching the 1,000 mark on June 14. The city logged 1,118 fresh cases of the infection on June 14 with a positivity rate of 6.5 per cent and two fatalities.

Since then, the national capital has been logging more than 1,000 cases every day barring last Wednesday, when it logged 928 new Covid cases.

At that time, it was indicated that new sub-variants BA.2.12 (52 per cent samples) and BA.2.10 (11 per cent samples) were showing high transmission and were found in over 60 per cent of the samples from Delhi sequenced.

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