you barely get to know when things go wrong with your liver warn doctors heres what you need to know to keep your aide de digestion safe our heart needs a lot of care we are told but what of the bodys largest solid organ that lies below it union minister for science and technology vilasrao deshmukh is being treated at a chennai hospital for multiple liver conditions its time to pay heed to our own the multitasking organ performs several functions it metabolises fats and carbohydrates eliminates toxins synthesises protein and secretes bile to aid digestion all of these are vital to our well being yet says dr rakesh rai a liver transplant surgeon at fortis hospital mulund its tough to know when things arent right with the liverlate detection is common rai says liver diseases have subtle symptoms that a patient almost always misses typical symptoms are generic fatigue weakness anaemia fluid collection in the legs and tummy and drowsiness the only way to detect a liver disease is when you chance upon it during a health check up thats why they are rarely diagnosed in time but the price we pay for late detection is high major liver complications include cirrhosis acute hepatitis a b c and e chronic hepatitis b and c liver tumour and cancer in india more than 2 lakh people die of liver diseases every year according to data published by the world health organisation in april 2011alcohol isnt sole cause dr sanjay nagral consultant liver surgeon at jaslok hospital peddar road says in cirrhosis which is the final phase of chronic liver disease functionality declines and the liver becomes pockmarked and shrunken usually cirrhosis is diagnosed at a late stage it is a progressive disease that has to be monitored once in six months to rule out formation of tumours many patients resort to alternative medication which only worsens the situation cirrhosis contrary to popular belief isnt just a result of alcohol abuse but can also be caused by hepatitis b c and d or due to a fatty liver non alcoholicfatty liver disease nafld is linked to obesity unhealthy food habits a sedentary lifestyle and diabetes so one way to avoid cirrhosis even if you dont drink is to make sure you lead a healthier lifestyle the solution is similar to the one for preventing heart disease eat healthy exercise and shun junk food says nagral doctors also recommend cirrhosis patients to go off salt since excess of it leads to water retentionwhat about hepatitis the sharp rise in hepatitis b and c cases is mostly because of incorrect hospital practice such as the casual use of unsterilised hospital equipment including injection needles feels nagral as a nation we are hooked on to injections we believe its a cure for every ailment as a result a lot of hepatitis infections get easy access to our bodies also practice safe sex since hepatitis b and c are transferred through body