Categories:
Digestive health
What is liver disease?
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, process and distribute nutrients, store energy and remove poisons.
There are many kinds of liver diseases and conditions
Prevea offers a comprehensive program to diagnose and treat individuals with liver disease. You can find us inside HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, on the first floor across from registration.
You’ll likely be referred to us by your primary care provider. That office visit will include a review of your medical history and your symptoms. We then need to diagnose your condition. We use state-of-the-art technology called FibroScan®. This is a non-invasive and painless test which is used to assess liver stiffness. This test is conducted in the provider’s office. Lab work, ultrasound and upper endoscopy may also be used to help with the diagnosis. Due to the nature of these tests, you likely won’t have these tests the same day as your first office visit.
Upon diagnosis, you’ll meet with an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner to develop a treatment plan. This will include lifestyle changes, including weight loss. Our goal is to make sure that you remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible. We will make sure your primary care provider is aware of your treatment plan as well.
You can expect to meet with a provider annually to review the disease progression. Patients with a more severe case will have follow up appointments every six months.
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, process and distribute nutrients, store energy and remove poisons.
There are many kinds of liver diseases and conditions
- Diseases caused by viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
- Diseases caused by drugs, poisons or too much alcohol, such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis
- Liver cancer
- Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease
Prevea offers a comprehensive program to diagnose and treat individuals with liver disease. You can find us inside HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, on the first floor across from registration.
You’ll likely be referred to us by your primary care provider. That office visit will include a review of your medical history and your symptoms. We then need to diagnose your condition. We use state-of-the-art technology called FibroScan®. This is a non-invasive and painless test which is used to assess liver stiffness. This test is conducted in the provider’s office. Lab work, ultrasound and upper endoscopy may also be used to help with the diagnosis. Due to the nature of these tests, you likely won’t have these tests the same day as your first office visit.
Upon diagnosis, you’ll meet with an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner to develop a treatment plan. This will include lifestyle changes, including weight loss. Our goal is to make sure that you remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible. We will make sure your primary care provider is aware of your treatment plan as well.
You can expect to meet with a provider annually to review the disease progression. Patients with a more severe case will have follow up appointments every six months.