Latest news with #TheLancetGastroenterology&Hepatology
India.com
09-05-2025
- Health
- India.com
Liver Fibrosis And Scarring – Can The Damage Be Reversed
Your liver is one of the most vital organs in your body, responsible for many functions, from detoxifying harmful substances to aiding digestion and storing nutrients. Yet, for many, this hardworking organ quietly suffers. Liver fibrosis, the early stage of liver scarring, often creeps in without warning — and if left unchecked, it can lead to cirrhosis, or liver failure. A study published by The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology in 2019 found that about 10.5% of young adults had liver steatosis, and 2.4% had liver fibrosis, highlighting the prevalence of liver conditions in the general population. Dr Deep Kamal Soni, Consultant - Gastroenterology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Vasant Kunj shares how liver fibrosis and scarring can be reversed. What is Liver Fibrosis? Liver fibrosis is the accumulation of scar tissue in the liver due to long-term damage or inflammation. Unlike normal scar healing, this scarring disrupts the liver's structure and impairs its function. It can happen because of Chronic alcohol abuse, Hepatitis B or C infections, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Autoimmune liver diseases, and Exposure to toxins or certain medications What Are the Early Signs? • Bloating or pressure on the right side of your stomach • Slight swelling in legs or ankles. • Your skin is unusually pale or itchy • You bruise too easily • You find it harder to pay attention or to remember little things What Causes the Scarring? For most of us, liver fibrosis isn't the product of a single shocking event rather, it's the consequence of years of lifestyle habits. Ongoing alcohol consumption, a high-fat or high-sugar diet, poorly controlled diabetes, or hepatitis infections can quietly erode liver function. Even use of some painkillers or long-term exposure to chemicals (such as household cleaners or smoke) does the trick. Mix in stress and lack of sleep, and you're subjecting your liver to a whole lot more than you know. Can the Liver Recover? The liver is among the only organs that can self-heal, particularly if fibrosis is addressed early. What works: • Reduce alcohol, refined sugars, and processed food. • Introduce foods such as spinach, broccoli, garlic, citrus fruits, and healthy fats (such as walnuts or fish) onto your plate. • Begin mornings with warm water or dandelion and Tulsi teas. • Gentle exercise—walking, yoga, or swimming—helps circulation and healing. • Prioritize regular sleep and try to eliminate stress—be it music, writing, or time out. • Most importantly, have your liver checked with a simple liver function test (LFT) or an ultrasound if symptoms persist. In advanced cases, liver transplantation may be the only option. The liver's regenerative power means that early action, lifestyle shifts, and medical treatment can help reverse the damage and restore health. If you're at risk or already diagnosed consult the doctor, and commit to lifestyle changes.
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Appendectomy appears to reduce ulcerative colitis relapses
April 16 (Reuters) - (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here) Patients with the chronic inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis might reduce their risk of a relapse by having their appendix removed, a new study suggests. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and ulcers in the large intestine and rectum, with diarrhea and abdominal pain. There is no cure. Symptoms repeatedly subside and relapse and can adversely affect quality of life. The appendix is thought to play a role in all of this by producing inflammatory proteins that trigger the body to produce cascades of immune responses, according to a report of the study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, opens new tab. All 197 adult patients in the current study were in remission at the start but had required treatment for an episode of active disease during the previous year. All of them received the usual standard care. Half also had an appendectomy. A year later, the relapse rates were 36% in the appendectomy group and 56% in the usual-care group, the researchers said. In addition, fewer patients in the appendectomy group later developed more severe disease requiring treatment with biological agents. There were five postoperative complications in the surgery group, including two that were labeled serious. After accounting for patients' individual risk factors, the odds of relapse during the study were 35% lower with appendectomy. 'This significant... reduction suggests that appendectomy might be a viable additional therapeutic option for maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis,' the researchers wrote. 'Furthermore, patients who underwent appendectomy were significantly more likely to maintain lower disease activity, reduce the initiation of biological agents, and improve health-related quality of life compared with patients who received standard medical therapy alone.' An editorial, opens new tab published with the study notes that a separate trial, still underway, is testing the benefit of appendectomy in patients whose ulcerative colitis is not in remission. GSK ANTIBIOTIC SHOWS PROMISE FOR GONORRHEA GSK's (GSK.L), opens new tab new pill for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women and girls is also showing promise for treating uncomplicated gonorrhea, the company reported on Monday in The Lancet, opens new tab. Gepotidacin, sold as Blujepa, is a first-in-class triazaacenaphthylene antibiotic that acts by inhibiting bacteria's replication of DNA. In a late-stage, multi-nation trial, researchers randomly assigned 628 patients with gonorrhea in the urinary tract or genitals to treatment with gepotidacin or ceftriaxone with azithromycin. Success rates at eradicating Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria were statistically similar, at 92.6% with gepotidacin and 91.2% with ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. The gepotidacin group had higher rates of drug-related gastrointestinal adverse side effects, but almost all were mild or moderate, according to the researchers. An editorial, opens new tab published with the report notes that no new antimicrobials have been introduced for gonorrhoea treatment since the 1990s. The authors of the editorial expect N. gonorrhoeae to eventually develop resistance to gepotidacin, too. However, they said gepotidacin should also be tested in patients with gonorrhea of the mouth and throat, which is harder to treat than the urogenital infections seen in the current trial. An editorial in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, opens new tab notes that in a separate late-stage study, the first-in-class spiropyrimidinetrione antibiotic zoliflodacin was just as effective against urogenital gonorrhea as ceftriaxone plus azithromycin. Zoliflodacin is being developed as part of a public-private partnership between Innoviva's (INVA.O), opens new tab specialty therapeutics unit and the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership.
