Increased liver: treatment. Increased liver in a child: the causes

Health is considered the main wealth of mankind, because thanks to it people have the opportunity to fully live and work. Various symptoms that bring with them unpleasant sensations, speak of the onset of the disease. In order to diagnose pathology in time, it is necessary to know all its signs well. One of the sciences, which are of great importance in medicine, is the human anatomy. The organs and functional systems under the influence of the disease can change their properties. In order to find out the cause of any symptoms and choose the right treatment, you need to know not only pathological, but also normal parameters.

Physiological examination of the liver

The liver is the largest organ of a person, which is the exocrine gland. It is one of the components of the gastrointestinal tract, located in the abdominal cavity. The liver is responsible for many processes occurring in the body, its main functions are the neutralization of harmful substances and the formation of proteins of the blood plasma. When conducting a general inspection, this body is always investigated. Normally, palpation of the liver can be felt only by its lower end, located at the edge of the costal arch on the right. In some cases, it can act stronger, which indicates an increase in the organ. If the liver is healthy, then this should not be. In such cases, compulsory treatment is required. Enlarged liver may be for various reasons. Often, they include diseases of the digestive and hematopoietic system, as well as some infectious processes.

Why the liver is enlarged: causes

The increase in the organ is most often associated with inflammatory processes. Therefore, the main reason that the liver began to occupy a larger volume, are various types of hepatitis. In addition, it can increase when replacing normal cells of the body with connective tissue. This occurs with the development of a serious disease - cirrhosis of the liver. The size of the body can come back to normal, if it comes to hepatitis, but this requires adequate treatment. The liver can be enlarged also with blood diseases, to which can be attributed the heavily leaking forms of anemia and chronic leukemia. In addition, hepatomegaly is observed in certain viral pathologies, for example, in mononucleosis, HIV infection. Another cause of liver enlargement is oncological processes localized in this organ, as well as Hodgkin's lymphoma. In rare cases, hepatomegaly can be caused by helminthic invasions.

How to diagnose the cause of liver enlargement?

It is worth remembering that hepatomegaly is only a syndrome. In order to get rid of it, in the first place requires etiological treatment. The liver is enlarged for various reasons, so it is necessary to find out which of the factors led to hepatomegaly. Diagnostic measures include:

1. Collection of anamnesis and patient complaints. It is necessary to find out what else the patient has for the symptoms, whether he received donor blood, whether he had contact with infected people.
2. Examination of the patient - it is necessary to pay attention to the skin color (jaundice is possible), the presence of rashes, the size of the spleen.
3. General blood analysis.
4. Coagulogram.
5. Blood chemistry. This analysis is very important, because it can diagnose liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.
6. Ultrasound examination of the organ allows you to visualize the size, shape of the organ, as well as the presence of additional formations (echinococcosis, abscess).
7. Magnetic resonance imaging.
8. Biopsy of the organ is the most reliable analysis. It is indicated in case of suspicions of oncological processes, as well as fatty dystrophy of the liver.

Hepatomegaly in children: causes

Liver enlargement is a syndrome that can be observed at any age. Often hepatomegaly occurs in children, especially in young patients. Why can the liver be increased in a child? The causes of hepatomegaly in children are somewhat different, since small patients rarely suffer from such diseases as chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. A distinctive feature is that the digestive gland of babies reacts more to viral and bacterial infections. It follows that hepatomegaly in a child can be diagnosed in almost any acute process. The most common cause of an enlarged liver in childhood is viral hepatitis A (jaundice), which is characterized by a fecal-oral transmission and has high contagiosity. Also, hepatomegaly can be observed during vaccination, in which case it is temporary and does not pose a hazard. If the examination of the child increases the liver and spleen, then it is necessary to exclude the diseases of the hematopoietic system (aplastic anemia, leukemia).

Approaches to the treatment of hepatomegaly

We must not forget that the enlargement of the liver is not an independent disease. Therefore, in order to determine the tactics of treatment, it is necessary to find out the cause that led to hepatomegaly. You also need to keep in mind the characteristics of childhood. If it comes to small patients, the human anatomy is very important. Organs in children, in comparison with adults, have other proportions. In the first months of life, the liver of babies is increased, and this is not a pathological condition. Treatment of hepatomegaly should be aimed at eliminating the etiologic factor. You should also adhere to proper nutrition, give up alcoholic beverages and hard-to-digest food, eat more fruits, nuts, and use olive oil. As maintenance therapy, you can use infusions of mint, St. John's wort and motherwort, as well as a decoction of oats.

Etiological treatment for hepatomegaly

In connection with the fact that the main cause of liver enlargement is hepatitis, prescribe antiviral drugs. In addition, with chronic diseases, hepatoprotectors are used, which stimulate the work of the organ. If the cause is leukemia or cancer processes, antitumor treatment is indicated. Enlarged liver can be and pathology of other organs, for example, with heart failure. In this case, therapy should be directed to the underlying disease. With abscesses and echinococcosis, surgical treatment is performed.