Chronic Liver Disease
Chronic liver disease is an umbrella term that encompasses multiple conditions that affect the liver. The most common causes of liver disease include viruses, genetics, excessive alcohol use, poor diet, and reactions to medications or toxic chemicals. Most liver diseases damage the liver in similar ways, so that the progression of the illness looks similar regardless of the underlying condition causing the disease. Given the importance of the liver’s functions in the body, early detection is key for successful treatment and preventing the development of additional comorbidities that can result from extensive liver damage. Many people do not look or feel sick when they have liver disease until the disease has advanced significantly, which can complicate efforts for early detection. At a certain point in the progression of liver disease, the damage can become irreversible and lead to liver failure, at which point many people join a waitlist for a liver transplant. In the United States, t...