Contributed by Healthians Team
A liver transplant also referred to as a hepatic transplant, is an operation or surgical procedure that replaces a diseased/damaged, or a failed liver with a healthy liver from a deceased donor or with a partial healthy liver from a living donor. A timely liver transplant can save your life when the liver doesn’t perform its critical functions properly and often proves to be the difference between life and death. A healthy liver (located on the right side of the belly) is vital for longevity and is the most comprehensive internal organ that serves crucial functions, including:
- Processing hormones, nutrients, and medications in the body
- Producing bile, which helps the small intestine to break down and digest fats, cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins.
- Absorbing and metabolizing bilirubin( it is formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin and the iron released from the hemoglobin stores in the liver )
- Production of albumin ( a protein) that keeps fluids in the bloodstream from leaking into surrounding tissues.
- Regulating blood clots by using vitamin K which can be absorbed with the support of bile.
- Filtration of blood by removing byproducts, toxins, and other harmful substances when leaving from the stomach and intestines.
- Resisting infections and removing bacterias from the bloodstream
- Regulation of amino acids where production of protein is dependent on amino acids and liver ensures that amino acids in the blood remain healthy
- Removal of byproducts of metabolic activity
- Reservation of some vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, K, and B12, minerals, iron as well as copper.
- Transforming food into chemicals essential for life and growth
- Delivering elements essential for the digestion of fats and vitamins
- Controlling hormonal imbalances
A liver transplant is the only hope for people who have significant complications due to end-stage chronic (long-term) liver disease or severe acute (sudden onset) liver disease. Chronic liver failure happens gradually over months and years while acute liver failure occurs within a couple of weeks causing the liver to lose its ability to function. Acute liver failure also referred to as a fulminant hepatic failure, a rare condition, is the result of complications from certain medications, drug-induced injury, viral hepatitis, or infection.
Chronic liver failure is a life-threatening disease and it can be caused by a variety of conditions. But the most common cause of liver failure is Cirrhosis, a chronic or late-stage liver condition in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue. These scar tissues reduce the liver’s potential to process nutrients, natural toxins, hormones, and drugs. It diminishes the generation of proteins and certain substances prepared by the liver as well as resists the movement of blood into the liver. Cirrhosis is a long-lasting and deadly illness. Other conditions that can cause chronic liver failure, include:
- Chronic hepatitis C and B affects the liver and often leads to more serious health problems. People with hepatitis B and C are at higher risk of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition in which an excess of fat grows up in your liver. People feel no symptoms but in rare cases, they can encounter weight loss, fatigue, or pain. With time, scarring of the liver and inflammation can occur.
- Primary biliary cholangitis, formerly called primary biliary cirrhosis, is a chronic disease in which the bile ducts in your liver are gradually damaged or destroyed.
- Alcohol hepatitis is a condition that occurs due to excessive consumption of alcohol over an extended period. When alcohol goes into the liver, it produces toxic chemicals damaging the liver cells. This damage of liver cells leads to alcohol hepatitis and inflammation of the liver.
- Liver cancer variants, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), Hemangioma, Hepatic adenoma, and focal nodular hyperplasia.
- Genetic diseases such as hemochromatosis, a condition where your body absorbs too much iron from the food you eat. Excessive iron accumulates in the liver, heart, and pancreases causing life-threatening conditions such as liver diseases.
- Sclerosing cholangitis, a lifelong illness causes inflammation as well as scarring of the bile which makes your bile ducts blocked, hard and narrow. This causes the bile to accumulate in the liver and It gradually progresses and leads to damage of liver cells causing cirrhosis, repeated infections, and tumors of the bile ducts or liver.
A doctor may advise a liver transplant if other remedial strategies for liver failure are not sufficient to keep a person alive. However, the surgery is also dependent on the patient’s physical capacity to endure such a complicated process.
Generally, the number of people waiting for liver transplants is higher than the number of available donors. At times, a healthy person donates part of their liver so it becomes an alternate option for the people waiting for deceased donor livers. A living donor can be your family member, friend, colleague, or anyone but their blood type should be a perfect match. A living donor liver is possible because, after surgery, the part of the donor’s liver and the part you receive as the new liver begins to regenerate reforms and comes back to its normal size in a few weeks.
Complications of liver transplant
The biggest risk of surgery is a rejection of the liver or infection. Normally, your immune system responds to foreign invaders when they enter your body. Your body’s immune system may think of your new liver as a foreign object or threat so it attacks your new liver and does not accept it as your new transplanted liver. To support your new liver to survive in your body, you have to take anti-rejection medications because these medicines decrease your immune system’s response towards the new liver. You must take these medications throughout your life. Some other complications from liver transplant include:
The biggest risk of surgery is a rejection of the liver or infection. Normally, your immune system responds to foreign invaders when they enter your body. Your body’s immune system may think of your new liver as a foreign object or threat so it attacks your new liver and does not accept it as your new transplanted liver. To support your new liver to survive in your body, you have to take anti-rejection medications because these medicines decrease your immune system’s response towards the new liver. You must take these medications throughout your life. Some other complications from liver transplant include:
- Bleeding
- Infection of the surgical wound
- Blocked blood vessels to the new liver
- Leakage of bile or blocked bile ducts
- Blood clots in the artery causing hepatic artery thrombosis
- Liver function problems (1 to 5 percent of transplanted livers do not perform their critical functions properly hence you may be needed additional surgery)
- Side effects of medicines, that enable your immune system to accept your new liver include high blood sugar, bone loss, kidney damage, weight gain, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure
Some illnesses that lead to liver failure can still damage your new liver. Such illnesses include:
- Hepatitis C
- Fatty liver disease
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Health tips for post-liver transplant
A prolonged period of illness can make you lose weight and make you weak and sick. Therefore, a balanced diet is an important part of your recovery process after a liver transplant so maintaining it can make you as fit as a fiddle. It is advisable to cross-check your meal plan with your healthcare provider or dietician. Here we have mentioned how to prepare food, food items that should be included in your diet, and food items that should be avoided after a successful liver transplant.
Eating habits & items to be focused on:
- Food should be prepared hygienically
- Clean utensils well before you start cooking
- Rinse and cook in fresh water.
- Use boiled or Filtered water
- Fruits and vegetables – Consume fruits and vegetables each day after cleaning well and peeling off the skin
- Have sufficient fiber in your diet
- Whole grain cereals and bread
- Consume a healthful, balanced diet. Restrict salt, cholesterol, fat, and sugar. A dietitian or nutritionist can assist you to make a meal plan.
- Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice. They can alter how some immunosuppressants act (an anti-rejection medicine).
- Avoid eating unpasteurized milk commodities or raw eggs, meat, or fish.
- Avoid drinking alcohol or apply it in food if you have a history of alcohol abuse or have suffered from alcohol use disorders (AUD).
- Do regular exercise.
- Avoid smoking.
- Restrict your connection with things that can transfer germs, such as soil, mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, reptiles, birds, and water from lakes or rivers.
- If you’re intending to explore, especially in a developing country, talk to your healthcare team about how to decrease risks at least 2 months before you travel.
- a patient can pursue a balanced diet before the transplant in few weeks
Food items & daily habits to avoid after liver transplant
- Avoid deep-fried or greasy foods
- Do not eat uneaten food
- Avoid raw eggs or mayonnaise.
- Avoid partially prepared food
- Avoid red meat.
- Avoid overripe fruits
- Do not eat expired packaged foods.
- If the quantity of potassium is high, restrict items such as banana, coconut water fruit juices /pulp
- If blood sugar is high, restrict sweets and fruits such as mangoes.
- Do regular exercise.
- Avoid smoking.
- Restrict your connection with things that can transfer germs, such as soil, mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, reptiles, birds, and water from lakes or rivers.
- If you’re intending to explore, especially in a developing country, talk to your healthcare team about how to decrease risks at least 2 months before you travel.
- a patient can pursue a balanced diet before the transplant in few weeks
