Liver failure is a disease that causes inability of the liver to perform its functions. It can get life-threatening. Here are mentioned popular myths that are believed regarding this disease.
If you are an alcoholic you will have liver failureThere is a myth regarding liver failure that suggests that those who consume alcohol on a regular basis inevitably suffer from liver failure. This myth is partially true but you cannot rely on it completely. It is quite true that prolonged exposure to alcohol weakens the liver. But there is no clear cut evidence that every alcoholic will invariably suffer from liver failure. Alcohol is just a factor among hundreds of such factors of liver failure.Your baby cannot have liver failure as it is a disease of the adultsMost of the people believe that liver failure is a disease that is experienced by adults only. It never affects children. They associate liver failure with adulthood. But this is a completely erroneous notion. Some of the recent studies carried out by the medical fraternity of Canada found out that there were more than thousand cases of liver failure where the victims were children, from even as small as a day old to those who were in their early teenage. The major problems that resulted in liver failure among children were genetics, viruses and blockage in the passage through which the bile juice flows out of the liver.Liver transplantation lessens the fear of liver failureThe myth that liver transplantation curbs the fear of live failure originated way back in 1970, when lives of hundreds of patients suffering from liver diseases got cured in Canada after liver transplantation. But the fact lies elsewhere. Those might be unique cases and focused at different diseases that responded to this implantation. Actually liver transplantation is the last resort for liver failure. In certain cases, the newly transplanted liver might also get affected by virus and proceed towards liver failure again. Moreover, there are cases when the body fails to respond to liver transplantation and the whole process becomes life threatening. Thus, there is no scientific evidence behind this myth.If you gain weight, it can lead to liver failureSome believe that people who are overweight are more vulnerable to liver failure. They associate a theory with the myth that obese people are prone to the development of fatty liver. This, in due course of time, hampers the normal functioning of the liver and eventually leads to liver failure. But this is again a myth. A ground level research on the matter was carried out on the people below poverty line. This revealed that liver diseases and susceptibility to liver failure was quite high among these people too who were non-obese due to their impoverished conditions.A teetotaler can be assured that there is no chance of liver failureMajority of the population associate liver failure with alcoholism and think that there is no fear of liver failure or any other liver related disease if you do not consume alcohol. Thus, they disassociate teetotaler from liver failure. This is again a foolish conception. While alcohol is only a trigger to liver failure, other diseases of the liver can also lead to liver failure. The factors that give rise to these diseases are viral, family history related and liver blockage that result in diseases like Wilson disease, tyosinemia, hepatitis A,B,C, biliary atresia respectively.Excessive intake of protein rich diet leads to liver failure
It is sometimes said that one of the most prominent triggers of liver failure is excessive intake of protein rich diet. But, this again, is a myth as the statement cannot be generalized. Most of the adults and healthy kids are capable enough to ingest protein rich food. But those with metabolic disorders and malfunctioning of the kidneys are incapable of eliminating the byproducts of protein after its metabolism inside the body. This obstructs their system to assimilate other vital nutrients that are helpful for the liver, such as vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals. People, who are healthy, can very well go for protein food without the fear of liver failure.
There is no cure of liver failure and you will die if you suffer from the sameA common myth associated with any disease exists in case of liver failure too. Many people believe that liver failure points at inevitable death of the patient. This is a complete farce. A regular check up, detection of liver diseases in the initial stages, blood tests, liver biopsy and various other treatments cure liver diseases and prevent liver failure.
