5 Ways to maintain liver health for people with hepatitis c

The liver is an important organ that functions to neutralize toxins and helps digest fat. One disease that attacks the liver is hepatitis C (HCV). People with this disease need to protect the health of the liver. However, how do you maintain the health of the liver with hepatitis C? Check out some of the following ways.

The importance of maintaining liver health for people with HCV

Not only inflammation, hepatitis C disease can also cause serious liver damage if the infection is spread through the blood.

In the long term and without proper treatment, this disease can also cause complications. This is the reason people with hepatitis C need to protect the health of the liver.

Some of the complications that may occur due to hepatitis C infection include:

• Cirrhosis. This indicates the presence of scar tissue in the liver that can interfere with normal liver function.
• Heart cancer. Abnormal liver performance can lead to abnormal cell growth in the liver in a small proportion of people with hepatitis C.
• Liver failure.This condition indicates that the liver has stopped functioning.

If someone is already infected with the hepatitis C virus, the right step to take is to get treatment from a doctor.

In addition, people with hepatitis C also need to adopt a healthy lifestyle as a way to maintain a healthy liver.

How to maintain liver health for people with hepatitis C

Despite hepatitis C disease, patients can still prevent and slow down the damage and complications to the liver. How to?

1. Follow the doctor's treatment properly

Hepatitis C infection is not like the flu or cold, which can go away on its own. Patients desperately need direct care from a doctor.

This is the most important way to maintain the patient's liver health. So, follow the treatment recommended by the doctor.

Prescription medications can stop liver damage, reduce the symptoms it causes, and lower the risk of more serious complications.

Apart from following routine treatment, patients also need to evaluate the drugs used. If it is less effective or causes side effects that are quite disturbing, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.

2. Stop drinking alcohol

The next way to maintain liver health for hepatitis C sufferers is to stop the habit of drinking alcohol.

Alcohol can cause swelling and aggravate irritation that occurs in the liver. If this drinking habit continues, the risk of developing cirrhosis will be even higher.

3. Be careful with the use of certain drugs

People with hepatitis C should not use drugs carelessly. For example, if you have the flu, the drug recommended for patients who have this disease is acetaminophen.

However, it must be remembered that the dosage should not be more than 2,000 mg in 24 hours. The drug ibuprofen is not usually recommended for patients with cirrhosis.

To avoid unwanted things, patients must get the green light from the doctor if they want to take drugs other than hepatitis C.

In addition, also avoid using herbal medicines and iron supplements without a doctor's permission. The reason is, iron-boosting supplements are known to accelerate the occurrence of scarring in the liver in people with hepatitis C.

4. Immediately get tested for hepatitis A and B

Apart from hepatitis C, there are other types of hepatitis, namely hepatitis A and B. If you have hepatitis C and are infected with hepatitis A and B, your body condition will get worse.

To protect liver health, patients should undergo a blood test to see if the body is immune to the hepatitis A or hepatitis B virus.

5. Maintain a diet, adequate sleep, and regular exercise

Just like other diseases, hepatitis C patients must maintain the quality of sleep. Lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of getting a bacterial or viral infection that can interfere with liver function.

In addition, diet and physical activity must be considered. Patients should avoid packaged foods that are high in salt, fried foods, and high in saturated fat.

Eating these can increase body weight which has the potential to cause fat accumulation in the liver.

Instead, patients should increase their intake of foods rich in vitamins, protein, fiber and minerals such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. However, the portions should not be excessive either.

In addition, regular exercise is also one of the ways that hepatitis C sufferers can protect their liver. Physical activity helps patients to control body weight while improving body fitness.

Schedule a meeting with your doctor to plan the best healthy diet and exercise for people with hepatitis C.

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