Do you have liver ascites? This is one type of health condition that involves fluid buildup in the abdomen. Liver disease can result in many symptoms including ascites. It’s important to know the basics of this condition including symptoms, causes, and treatments. This will help to deal with the condition. Ascites is often referred to as “beer belly” although it’s actually related to fluid rather than fat, and isn’t always caused by alcohol consumption. It can involve different organs and conditions including liver disease. If you have this serious disease then you might experience ascites.
Liver disease is a serious disease that involves the largest internal organ of the human body. The early stages include fatty liver although it can develop into more serious stages including liver cirrhosis. As always it’s important to manage the disease through methods like prescription medicines. You should also consider lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise, environment, stress, sleep, and so on. The liver has an outstanding ability to do self-repairs. However, it’s important for people to take responsibility for their liver health by limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, etc. You should also be aware of possible symptoms linked to liver disease including ascites.
What Exactly Is Ascites?
This condition happens when the abdomen experience 25+ milliliters of fluid buildup. This condition can happen in different situations but is more common when the liver stops functioning properly. When that happens fluid starts filling up the area between the body’s organs and abdominal lining.
This condition is very common among people with liver cirrhosis, which involves liver scarring. This is a late stage of liver disease and involves the “end-stage.” About 80% of all cirrhosis patients develop ascites. People can treat ascites through methods like water pills and reducing salt intake.
There are various causes of ascites. While there are various causes of liver cirrhosis is the most frequent one. Here’s why. When this happens blood flow into the liver gets blocked. This results in more pressure in the main vein that provides blood from the body’s digestive organs to the person’s liver.
The condition ascites takes place when this condition is known as “portal hypertension” happens. The body’s kidneys are unable to use urine to get rid of the extra sodium. This results in fluid buildup in the patient’s abdomen, which causes ascites.
This condition causes symptoms like a big belly and fast weight gain. Other common symptoms include shortness of breath and swollen ankles. There are other symptoms to watch out for to determine if you have ascites.
There are various causes of this condition besides alcoholism. They include ones like fluid buildup in the wrists, hands, ankles, and feet. Other possible causes include heart failure, abdominal cancer, and tuberculosis. If you have any of these conditions then you’re at risk of experiencing ascites.
When there’s more fluid buildup in the abdomen this then puts bigger pressure on patients’ diaphragm. That, in turn, can trigger shortness of breath. Most of the other symptoms linked to ascites are linked to the root causes. They include jaundice (yellow skin/eyeballs), continuous fever/coughing, etc.
Symptoms to watch out for
- Blood vessels resembling spider webs
- Nausea
- Red palms
- Fluid buildup in the abdomen
- Loss of appetite
- Itchy skin
- Yellow skin/eyeballs
- Tiredness
- Weight loss
- Easy bruises/bleeding
- Swelling of ankles/feet/legs
What Is Liver Ascites All about?
While there are various conditions/diseases connected to ascites one of the main ones is liver cirrhosis. This is late-stage liver disease that involves scar tissue replacing healthy liver tissues. It’s a serious condition that requires major treatments including medications and surgery. The only “cure” is a liver transplant since it involves the liver malfunctioning.
This condition involves something called scarring is known as “fibrosis. It results from a wide range of different liver conditions/diseases including alcoholism and hepatitis. The main issue is the liver is unable to repair itself as it normally does. It involves more scar tissue forming. This makes it even tougher for the liver to function.
The key to this process is to prevent cirrhosis from the get-go. However, if the liver disease develops to this late stage then it’s important to limit the damage as much as possible. With the proper treatment, it’s possible to fight damage. In fact, it’s possible to limit damage and sometimes even reverse it.
Are There Any Symptoms?
Liver cirrhosis frequently has no symptoms/signs until liver damage becomes very serious. There are various possible symptoms to watch out for including:
| Spider veins | Tiredness |
| Nausea | Weight loss |
| Red palms | Easy bruising/bleeding |
| Ascites | Itchy skin |
| Loss of appetite | Edema |
| Jaundice |
There are various conditions/diseases that can damage a person’s liver and cause cirrhosis. The most well-known one is high alcoholic consumption. However, there are others like hepatitis A/B/C, iron buildup, fatty liver, copper in the liver, genetic disorders, and blocked bile ducts.
There are also several risk factors involved with liver cirrhosis. It’s important to prevent becoming overweight/obese since this can affect your risk of the disease. You should also try to limit alcoholic drinks. If you have a late-stage liver disease it’s important to drop all alcohol. You can also help to prevent cirrhosis by getting hepatitis vaccines to reduce your risk.
Home Treatments for Ascites
1. Ginger
This one is less famous than onions and garlic. However, it’s another superfood that might help to relieve ascites symptoms. There are various options including ginger tea. You can even add raw ginger to your home-cooked meals to provide more flavor and health benefits.
2. Carrot Juice
This is easily one of the healthiest juices you can drink besides beet, tomato, and green juice. It’s also a cinch to make. All you’ll need is a blender or juicer. You can also pair carrots with other ingredients like apples for more health benefits. Carrots are high in a pigment that gives them their famous orange color. The pigment turns into Vitamin in the body
3. Radish
This is a superfood you can consume in different ways. There’s raw radish in salads. You can also eat pickled rashes, which is another healthy option since it adds more good bacteria to your diet.
4. Garlic Juice
Garlic is such a healthy herb some people eat raw garlic every day. That can be tough to digest so another option is garlic juice. You’ll get the same health benefits but it will be less strong than uncooked garlic. This herb is known to be anti-bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Make sure to drink it regularly to get the best results.
5. Fenugreek seeds
If it’s tough to find fenugreek seeds you can go with a supplement made from fenugreek seeds. The best option is an organic product that includes so synthetic ingredients.
6. Epsom Salt Bath
This is an ironic treatment since a high sodium diet can boost your risk of liver conditions. However, this condition can help to treat ascites and reduce symptoms. Make sure that you’re using Epsom salts to prepare the bath in order to get the best results. This can help to provide relief if you’re suffering from liver ascites.
