As the liver is the second largest organ in the human body and the key player in waste removal from the system, its proper functioning is extremely critical. Several kinds of liver diseases can affect how well the organ works, and many of them, when left unchecked, can impair liver function completely. Liver chronic disease may prevent proper separation of nutrients and waste, leading to severe complications. Being aware of liver problem symptoms helps you take the right steps in time to prevent this situation.

Liver Disease Symptoms: What to Watch Out for

Knowing the early symptoms of liver disease works in favour of seeking medical help well in time to prevent liver failure. Some warning signs include:

• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness
• Nausea
• Diarrhoea

When the condition has been existing for a while, and the organ is affected, these are the liver damage symptoms that you may experience:

• Bloated stomach
• Jaundice
• Sleepiness
• Abdominal pain
• Swelling or oedema in arms and legs
• Easily bruising or even bleeding
• Urine/stool colour change
• Disorientation

What Causes Liver Failure?

Liver infection can slowly progress over a long time, ultimately resulting in liver failure. However, there is also a condition known as Acute Liver Failure that can occur very quickly, over as little as 48 hours.

Scarring or cirrhosis occurs when significant parts of the liver are damaged beyond repair. The organ damaged in such a way over large areas cannot function because there is not enough healthy tissue left. When this happens, it is called liver failure. This can be potentially life-threatening, and immediate medical care is imperative.  Some kinds of liver disease can also result in cancer when left untreated.

Acute liver failure can develop in those with no previous history of liver problems. Since it develops so quickly, the individual may completely overlook the liver disease symptoms until too late. The symptoms of liver failure mimic those of liver disease; hence they should not be ignored or sidelined as something to be looked into later.

Acute and Chronic Liver Failure

Acute Liver Failure: This occurs when the liver suddenly stops working without any warning signs of liver disease prior to this. An individual may not even know that he/she has a major health complication and needs immediate medical intervention.

Chronic Liver Failure: The damage to the liver builds up slowly over several months or even years until the liver can no longer function properly. When the damage is too substantial, the organ stops functioning. In most cases, untreated liver chronic disease is the leading cause.

Common Causes of Liver Damage

Many factors can damage the liver and/or cause scarring, such as:

• Some infections such as hepatitis A/E, chronic hepatitis B/C
• Some autoimmune diseases
• Diseases that affect bile ducts
• Excessive alcohol use
• Genetic diseases like Wilson’s disease
• Diseases that affect the veins in this organ
• Liver diseases arising from drinking alcohol
• Fatty liver disease
• Exposure to toxins like strong industrial-grade chemicals
• Exposure to toxic mushrooms

Apart from these, some causes arise from medications or treatments you follow:

• Excessive use of Acetaminophen
• Reaction to antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and anti-epileptic drugs
• Some herbal supplements, such as kava

Diagnosing Liver Disease

As acute liver failure can be fatal, it is essential to diagnose it in time and get the right treatment quickly when you see the first warning signs and symptoms. When you approach your physician for liver problem diagnosis, these are the steps they may recommend:

• Liver Function Tests: This involves assessing the level of protein and enzyme in your blood to indicate how well the liver is functioning

• Blood tests to identify other conditions: Since liver damage can arise from other conditions, too, blood tests like a complete blood count (CBC) may be advised to identify it

• Liver Biopsy: Liver samples may be collected to see if there is scarring
• Imaging: CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound may be done to examine the liver visually

Preventive Care for Liver Disease

Getting liver infection treatment promptly is critical to ensure you do not suffer liver failure. But it is possible for you to overlook the common liver disease symptoms or to put off treatment until it is too late. The best way to avert complications arising from such situations is to focus on preventive care.

An annual health check-up that includes the proper tests to identify liver damage and liver disease in the initial stages helps you identify and seek medical attention at the right time. With the appropriate treatment at the early stages, you can avert serious problems and continue to live your life with ease and freedom.

NURA Ai Screening offers the best testing options backed by Japan’s Fujifilm AI-driven imaging technology and Dr Kutty’s healthcare. Friendly staff (lab technicians, Radiographer, Doctors) empathetic service, quick report generation, and a comfortable lab environment make undergoing preventive tests easy and simple at NURA. Our whole-body scan packages help you keep a watch on your health and identify issues like liver trouble before they begin to affect your body. Book your appointment today and ensure your good health.

Learn More: 10 lifestyle diseases that are common in India

Have you ever heard anyone wax eloquent on the benefits of smoking? Has any cigarette brand ever talked about which cigarette is good for health? No, because cigarette smoking, in fact, the use of tobacco products, is harmful to health, is well known and established. Yet in 2020, according to the WHO, 22.3% of the population worldwide used tobacco. According to a 2022 report, 267 million Indians use tobacco, and this includes minors as well. About 15 million Indians above 15 smoke some form of tobacco, and statistics reveal that it is fatal for approximately 50% of its users. While there are many forms of tobacco, cigarette smoking is its most popular form, which we focus on mainly in this piece. So know how cigarette smoking can be injurious to health in myriad ways.

10 Ill-Effects of Smoking

Smoking can affect every organ. While most people know that the harmful effects of tobacco include the heightened risk of cancers, there are many less-known smoking diseases that can significantly affect your health and lifestyle. Take a look at ten of these:

• Cardiovascular diseases

Yes, cigarette side effects include heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) diseases like stroke and heart disease. In 2000, more than 1 in 10 deaths from CVD were traced back to smoking. Cigarette side effects include an increase in triglycerides and lower good cholesterol. Further, it can increase the risk of blood clots in the arteries by making the blood stickier while also causing the narrowing of blood vessels. Cigarette smoke causes damage to the cells lining our blood vessels. All of these lead to a seriously heightened risk of CVD in smokers.

• Central Nervous System

The smoke effect is so potent that it can reach your brain in just 10 seconds after you take your first whiff of the cigarette. Nicotine in cigarette smoke can alter your mood. That’s why smoking makes you feel euphoric and energetic initially. But it harms your nervous system in many ways, as follows:

• Neurotransmission
• Development of nervous structures
• Cognitive function
• Cerebrovascular health

Smoking diseases include neurodegenerative diseases as well.

• Addiction

Tobacco effects are not restricted to physical ailments. It can also become an addiction that you cannot break out of. The first smoke effect that you experience is positive. You can concentrate better and feel that it makes you very productive. But then these effects quickly wear off, leaving you craving the energy again, especially as you feel drained and enervated soon after smoking. Nicotine, which is highly addictive, makes smoking a tough habit to quit, and this can result in a slew of other problems for you both health-wise and apart from that.

• Lung damage

The cigarette side effects on the lung are known very well, but smokers do not realize the seriousness of the issue until too late. Cigarette smoke significantly increases the risk of lung cancer. You are 25 times more likely to contract this dreaded disease if you are a smoker, more in the case of women. Most lung cancer fatalities across the world can be attributed to smoking.

• COPD 

According to the American Lung Association, harmful effects of tobacco include a seriously heightened risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. COPD is the umbrella term for various illnesses that affect the lungs and cause considerable respiratory distress.

Know More: Understanding COPD & How Early Detection Helps

• Macular degeneration

Did you know that smoking can make you lose vision? Smoking heightens the possibility of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration. This eye disease hampers your central vision owing to damage to the macula portion of the eye. AMD is a prevalent condition, especially in older people and those habituated to smoking; the chances of losing central vision are much higher.

• Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is also one of the cigarette side effects that you should be aware of. There is a 30- 40% greater chance that smokers will develop this disease when compared with non-smokers. Diabetics who smoke are more likely unable to manage their insulin dosing correctly. So not only is Type 2 diabetes one of the common smoking diseases you can contract, but smoking can also make it difficult for you to manage the condition.

• Erectile dysfunction

One of the tobacco’s less known harmful effects is that it narrows the blood vessels in the body. This also impairs the blood supply to the penis affecting male sexual function. One of the first questions asked of patients with erectile dysfunction is if they smoke a lot.

• Reproductive complications

The risk of a fatal reproductive complication is heightened in women who smoke. Known as ectopic pregnancy, this condition occurs when the fertilized egg is not implanted inside the uterus but elsewhere. Not only does this pregnancy not survive, but the mother is also at grave risk.

• Colorectal cancer

The link between lung cancer and smoking is relatively well known, but do you know that colorectal cancer can also be attributed to cigarette side effects? When cancer cells multiply in the colon or rectum, the condition is called colorectal cancer. Cigarette smoking is linked to this condition, and a preventive measure for this disease is to quit smoking.

There is little doubt that cigarette smoke can be highly injurious to health, but less known is the fact that most of the diseases outlined above can also be attributed to the harmful effects of tobacco. If you smoke or use any such product, it is time to stop NOW!

You must prioritize medical screening tests to evaluate how your body has been affected by cigarette side effects so that you can take corrective action quickly and effectively. Remember that many significant illnesses, including cancers, can be effectively treated if identified early, and screening helps you do that.

Book your appointment at NURA labs right away for a whole body check-up to evaluate overall health and identify potential early risks. You can also call in and check with us about the best package that suits your needs. With the medical prowess of Dr Kutty’s Healthcare and the cutting-edge technological expertise of Japan’s Fujifilm, NURA ensures you get the most accurate test outcomes, the fastest testing, and the best care before, during and after the testing procedures.

Read More: Everything you need to know about Coronary Artery Disease

Human resource is one of the vital assets of any organisation. As a business owner, it is up to you to safeguard this asset so that your business can grow at an incredible pace. Investing in employee health is even more critical now when chronic illnesses are on the rise.

Some of these may arise from stress at the workplace or workplace environment, including poor ergonomic work conditions. Many stem from lifestyle habits. Irrespective of the factors that affect employee health, prioritising this aspect by offering routine medical check-ups for employees is beneficial for your business. Here are six reasons why.

Six advantages of routine health check-ups for employees

1. Healthy employees are also productive, and productivity underpins a business’s ability to fulfil market demand and remain profitable. When an employee is ill or unable to work at his/her best, the person’s productivity level dips. Not only is the illness affecting the employee, but it is also impacting your business’s efficiency and profitability. Regular health screening allows employees to keep track of vulnerabilities and pre-empt illnesses that may affect their productivity. In this way, when you invest in an employee health check-up package, you also invest in your business’s health.
2. When employees call off sick, it causes much disruption in your business processes. While this is more evident, especially in the case of higher levels employees in the core management team, the frequent absence of employees in the lower hierarchies also disturbs the smooth working of the operations team. A routine medical check-up for employees helps identify potential illnesses in time so they can be averted or treated without the employee being affected to the extent that they need a leave of absence. Since health screening also helps identify serious ailments at early stages, it enables quick and easy treatment for such diseases. The employee derives the benefit of better treatment outcomes and quicker recovery, meaning they can resume work at the earliest too.

3. A great way to improve employee retention is to demonstrate that you/your business truly cares for your staff. One of the lesser-known advantages of routine health check-up for employees sponsored by the company is that this positions you as a caring, considerate employee. Your qualified, trained staff is less likely to quit and move on when they perceive you as a good employer.

4. As an extension of this, your business also gains a reputation for being a good employer, and this helps you attract the best talent in the market when you are looking to hire fresh talent. An employee health check-up package delivers great ROI by making you a coveted employee so that the most qualified and brightest freshers consider you their preferred employer.

5. Medical check-ups for employees are not just advantageous for existing staff but also during hiring processes. Making a pre-employment medical test a part of your recruitment process helps you select the best candidates who are likely to give you committed, dedicated service for the long term. You cannot determine through an interview if a potential employee is healthy and fit enough to work without taking frequent leaves. However, the pre-employment medical test makes this very clear to you.

6. Among the financial advantages of routine health check-ups is the tax benefit to you and your staff. Instead of increasing salaries and pushing your employee to a higher tax bracket, you can sponsor an employee health check-up package for the employee and their family members as a perk. This helps you and them save money on taxes while ensuring they remain healthy and fit to give you their best.

Also Read: Health and Safety of Employees – Why is it Important ?

Getting the right employee health check-up package

With so many benefits, it makes sense for your business to standardize an employee health check-up package that you can offer your entire staff. Choosing a committed, professional partner to give you this service is critical, so your employees get the best outcomes. What is most vital is that they get accurate results in the quickest possible timelines and that screening is done with top-notch equipment and complete convenience.

NURA labs ticks all these boxes and then some, with cutting-edge Japanese Fujifilm technology powering our testing processes. Dr Kutty’s Healthcare joins hands with this world-class technology to bring you the most efficient screening tests to keep track of your employee health. We understand that the common man may not be aware of which tests are to be prioritized at what stages in life. That’s why we have packages designed to give you comprehensive health check-ups that can screen for all major diseases efficiently and minutely. Partnering with NURA can help you give your valuable human resource the greatest advantages of routine health check-ups that include prevention and early treatment of serious ailments like cancer.