Liver disease management is the long-term medical care of conditions that inflame, scar or overload the liver. It is led by a hepatologist or gastroenterologist and relies on blood tests, imaging and regular review rather than on a single treatment.
The aim is to find the cause, stop further damage and watch for complications such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Scarring that is already advanced usually cannot be reversed, so early diagnosis matters more than any later intervention.
Conditions this service looks after
- Fatty liver disease linked to weight, diabetes or alcohol
- Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Cirrhosis and its complications, such as fluid in the abdomen and varices
- Haemochromatosis and Wilson disease
- Drug-induced liver injury
- Unexplained abnormal liver blood tests
Tests you may be offered
- Liver blood panel: Enzymes, bilirubin, albumin and clotting tests show whether the liver is inflamed and how well it is working.
- Viral and autoimmune screen: Blood tests for hepatitis viruses, antibodies, iron and copper look for the underlying cause.
- Ultrasound and elastography: Ultrasound checks liver texture and bile ducts. Elastography (FibroScan) estimates stiffness, which reflects scarring, without a needle.
- CT or MRI: Used to characterise nodules, assess blood vessels or plan surgery.
- Liver biopsy: A small core of tissue is taken with a needle when blood tests and scans cannot settle the diagnosis or stage.
- Upper endoscopy: Looks for enlarged veins in the gullet in people with cirrhosis.
Treatments available
- Lifestyle and weight treatment: For fatty liver, steady weight loss, exercise and stopping alcohol are the treatments with the strongest evidence.
- Antiviral medicine: Hepatitis C can usually be cured with 8 to 12 weeks of tablets. Hepatitis B is controlled, not cured, with long-term tablets.
- Immunosuppression: Steroids and azathioprine control autoimmune hepatitis and need regular blood monitoring.
- Management of cirrhosis: Diuretics, beta blockers, banding of varices and six-monthly ultrasound surveillance for liver cancer.
- Referral for transplant assessment: Considered when the liver is failing despite treatment.
When to ask for a specialist opinion
- Liver blood tests that stay abnormal for more than a few months
- A scan that reports fatty liver, a coarse liver or a nodule
- A positive hepatitis B or C test
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or swelling of the abdomen
- A family history of liver disease or iron overload
Travelling to Türkiye for this care
A visit suits a structured work-up: bloods, elastography, imaging and a specialist opinion can usually be completed in 2 to 4 days, and you leave with a written plan. Starting hepatitis C tablets during a visit is possible if your home doctor agrees to monitor you. Ongoing care is a different matter. Cirrhosis surveillance, autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis B all need repeat tests every few months for years, and that belongs with a doctor near your home. Do not travel if you are jaundiced, confused, vomiting blood or have a swollen painful abdomen. Those need your nearest hospital.
Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Can a damaged liver recover?
Inflammation and early scarring can improve once the cause is removed, for example after weight loss or curing hepatitis C. Established cirrhosis rarely reverses, but its progress can often be slowed.
Do I need a biopsy?
Often not. Blood tests and elastography answer the question for many people. A biopsy is kept for cases where the cause or the stage remains unclear.
Are liver detox products useful?
No good evidence supports them, and some herbal products cause liver injury. Tell your doctor about every supplement you take.
How often will I need checks?
It depends on the cause and stage. People with cirrhosis usually need an ultrasound every six months for life.