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Liver Disease Q & A

What is liver disease?

Your liver is the second largest organ in your body and plays a role in your digestive processes. The organ helps convert food into energy and produces bile, which moves toxins and other waste out of your body.

Your liver can’t function as it should when you have liver disease. Several types of conditions affect your liver, including:

  • Cancer
  • Cirrhosis (scarring)
  • Hepatitis, and other infections
  • Alcohol-related fatty liver disease
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

GI Associates of Maryland offers comprehensive care for liver disease. The experienced physicians provide advanced testing in the office to ensure a prompt, accurate diagnosis. 

They also customize a care plan to manage liver disease in the long term and reduce your risk for additional complications.

When should I seek medical attention for liver disease?

If you already have a liver disease diagnosis, you can rely on the GI Associates of Maryland providers for the care you need to preserve your liver function.

You should also schedule a diagnostic evaluation with the team if you have symptoms of liver disease such as:

  • Fatigue
  • Yellowing of the skin (jaundice)
  • Abdominal pain
  • Edema (arm or leg swelling)
  • Persistent nausea or vomiting

The providers complete a physical exam and may order blood work, ultrasound, or other diagnostic tests. They can also remove a sample of liver tissue during a biopsy to identify cancer and other diseases.

Based on your test results, the physicians customize a treatment plan to address symptoms you have and prevent the disease from worsening.

How is liver disease treated?

If you have early-stage liver disease, the GI Associates of Maryland team may initially recommend lifestyle changes you can make to improve liver function. For instance, if you have fatty liver disease, you may need to switch to a low-calorie, low-fat diet and avoid alcohol to help your liver heal naturally.  

In addition to lifestyle and diet changes, some liver diseases also require medications to keep your condition well-controlled.

In the advanced stages of liver disease. You may need liver transplant surgery if your liver isn’t functioning well.

Call GI Associates of Maryland to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for symptoms of liver disease or book an appointment online today.