Liver disease
There are many different types of liver disease. You can help prevent some of them by maintaining a healthy weight and staying within the recommended alcohol limits, if you drink.
Some of the most common types of liver disease include:
Get the flu vaccine
Flu can be very serious if you have liver disease. Ask for your free flu jab at:
- your GP surgery
- a local pharmacy that has a flu vaccine service
Coronavirus advice
Get advice about coronavirus and liver disease from the British Liver Trust
Most types of liver disease do not cause any symptoms in the early stages.
Once you start to get symptoms of liver disease, your liver is already damaged and scarred. This is known as cirrhosis.
If you or your child has been diagnosed with liver disease, the British Liver Trust or Children's Liver Disease Foundation can also offer advice and support.
The 3 main causes of liver disease are:
- obesity
- an undiagnosed hepatitis infection
- alcohol misuse
You can reduce your risk of many types of liver disease with some simple lifestyle changes such as:
- trying to maintain a healthy weight
- not drinking too much alcohol
Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. These are recommended if you're at risk.
Important
You do not have to drink an excessive amount of alcohol to risk damaging your health. Regularly drinking just over the recommended levels can be harmful.
- Use the BMI healthy weight calculator to find out your body mass index (BMI)
- Start the NHS weight loss plan
- Read about cutting down on alcohol
- Find out who should have the hepatitis A vaccine and who should have the hepatitis B vaccine