The cases of liver diseases have recently recorded an acute rise. A recent study in
London found that hospital admission for liver disease as a result of
drinking has risen an alarming 112 percent in the past decade among
women under thirty. The question is, “why is it on a rise for women especially?” one of the possible reason and what the researchers have pointed out is the denial
about their drinking habits.

What Is Drug Induced Liver Disease?

This refers to the diseases of the liver, which unlike the naturally occurring ones, they are caused by drugs. These drugs can be prescribed medication, over the counter medication, vitamins, hormones, herbs, illicit drugs or environmental toxins.

Why is denial being associated with the increase in drug induced liver diseases in women?

Drug Induced Liver Disease Before we answer this question, we need to understand the meaning of denial first. What is denial in relation to drugs/ addiction? Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person doesn’t want to admit to a problem. In this case for example, admitting to the problem of drug taking would force an individual to handle his/her drug addiction and this would have to make significant changes and admit wrongdoing.

Addiction to alcohol and related drug substances has been on a rise. Women have also been involved in drug taking (especially alcohol) in the recent past. Alcohol which is among the highly addictive drug substances is known to cause liver diseases. This addiction poses one to high chances of getting these diseases since the rates of consumption of alcohol rises. Admitting to addiction can be too difficult especially to women and hence seeking recovery assistance becomes paralyzed. In this respect, women will deny the fact that they are taking drugs which are usually followed by effects, one of which is drug-induced liver disease. This means the chances of women who are addicts of alcohol remaining in the situation are higher above those of men. This could be a good explanation of why many women are now reported to be admitted of liver drug induced diseases.

Which are the symptoms of liver disease?

Liver diseases will rarely have symptoms which are observable immediately after one has a liver disease. For patients with mild liver disease may have a few or no symptoms at all. For the case of patients with severe liver disease, symptoms develop which may or not be specific.

Non-specific symptoms – there are symptoms that even after seeing them depicted on a given person we cannot conclude that the person has a liver disease. These are the symptoms we term as non-specific symptoms since they can be seen in many other disorder or diseases. These non-specific symptoms may include:- Abdominal pains, loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness of the body.
Specific symptoms – this refers to symptoms which will specifically indicate that a person is a victim of liver disease. These symptoms may include;
- Yellowing of the skin – this is normally as a result of the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood.
- Itching associated with liver disease may be evident
- Easy bruising may occur due to the decreased production of the blood clotting agents by the diseased liver.
- Others may include:- fever, joint pains, sore muscles, nausea, vomiting etc.

Note that in severe case such as in advanced liver disease with cirrhosis can depict symptoms that are related to cirrhosis such as:-

Accumulation of fluid in the legs and abdomen. This is due to the increased pressure in the blood vessels that goes to the liver.
Another symptom that may occur is mental confusion or coma. This is from hepatic encephalopathy due to the increase in ammonia.
The patient of liver disease will be highly vulnerable to bacterial infections and gastrointestinal bleeding.

How is drug-induced liver disease diagnosed?

The process of diagnosis of drug induced liver disease will always begin with examination of the complete history and physical wellbeing. On top of that examination, other diagnostic procedures will follow. These procedures inclue;

Specific blood testing in the lab such as:-

o Study of liver functioning

o Cellular blood count

o Determination of bleeding times

o Electrolyte tests

o Chemical substances presence in the body tests

o And finally drug screening tests.

Liver biopsy – this refers to the procedure in which blood samples are removed from the liver from the body for examination.
Ultrasound diagnostic methods – this involves use of a diagnostic imaging technique which uses high frequency sound waves to create images of internal organs in the body.

Is there treatment for liver disease?

Yes, liver disease is curable. The procedure of treatment will differ from one person to the other. The specific treatment for the patient of drug induced liver disease will be determined by the physician based on the following:-

The physician will enquire about your age, overall health and medical history.
Another concern will be your tolerance on specific medications
Expectations for the course of the disease will also be another factor to be considered.
Your opinion or preference may sometimes form part of things to be considered by the physician but this will in most cases be a rare case.