Regular screening, early diagnosis, and honest conversations can help turn a potentially life-threatening condition into a manageable one.
Published Jul 28, 2025 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2025 | 10:00 AM
Liver issues. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: Even though India bears a heavy burden of chronic viral hepatitis, most people overlook the liver, until symptoms become absolutely hard to ignore. Liver wellness is not something we need to check only when things go awry. Regular screening, early diagnosis, and honest conversations can help turn a potentially life-threatening condition into a manageable one.
Most people overlook the life-sustaining organ, the liver, until symptoms become absolutely hard to ignore and progress to a point where the damage may already be well-advanced. In chronic hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B and C, this insidious deterioration may occur over years, or even decades, without throwing up any warning signs.
India bears a heavy burden of chronic viral hepatitis, commonly referred to as the “second invisible pandemic” after tuberculosis. Liver health is not, however, discussed over the dinner table.
We equate liver issues with alcohol, ignoring the reality that hepatitis-induced liver disease is commonly much more subtle and may strike people who have never imbibed alcohol.
What makes hepatitis B and C so threatening is how quietly they operate. Spread by infected blood or bodily fluids, these viruses can quietly nestle in the liver, slowly replicating and slowly inflaming the organ over time.
Most patients do not realise they are infected until it is too late — to the point that the organ may have already developed serious conditions like cirrhosis, liver failure, or even liver cancer.
The symptoms, when they do appear, are nonspecific or vague; fatigue, mild discomfort in the abdomen, or occasional nausea. Jaundice, the classic indicator of liver distress, tends to appear late in the illness.
At that point, the liver could already be irreversibly scarred. In the purview of this, active screening becomes important, particularly among those who fall into high-risk groups such as individuals who have undergone blood transfusions, individuals with a history of hepatitis among relatives, and health workers.
Liver wellness is not something we need to check only when things go awry. A routine blood test to test for hepatitis B and C and liver enzyme tests goes a long way in early detection.
The silver lining is that both hepatitis B (treatable with lifelong antivirals) and hepatitis C (treatable with pills) have good treatments. However, before beginning the treatment, diagnosis is necessary, and that’s where awareness lags.
In both urban and rural areas, quite a few are unaware of their hepatitis status. A lack of information and fear of stigma doesn’t make matters better.
There is a need for a stronger push from public health efforts, general doctors, and even health check-up packages to make routine liver screening as accepted as blood sugar and cholesterol.
Even in the absence of viral hepatitis, our livers are under attack. Increasing incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fuelled by unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and increasing obesity, is an alarm.
The damage can escalate rapidly if NAFLD is compounded by an undiagnosed viral infection. That’s why liver care should be an integral part of overall health, not limited to specialist consultations alone.
Small lifestyle modifications — having a healthy diet, proper hydration, avoiding unnecessary medication or supplements, and moderation of alcohol intake — can help maintain liver function. In case of chronic hepatitis patients, these actions are extremely important.
The liver won’t scream for help, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all right. As liver disease increasingly plagues younger generations, we must reframe how we communicate and monitor liver health.
Regular screening, early diagnosis, and honest conversations can help turn a potentially life-threatening condition into a manageable one.
Ultimately, liver health is not merely about curing disease but about creating awareness before it takes root. And that’s a message that should be told — loudly and clearly.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
