What to Expect: Liver Disease Prevention

Using a team approach, our liver disease specialists work side by side to deliver comprehensive preventive services. We determine the care that is best for you based on your unique condition and risks for liver disease.

Liver disease prevention at Stanford includes:

• Adopting a healthy lifestyle
• Liver disease screenings
• Optimizing care for conditions that can lead to liver disease
• Support for liver disease risk factors

Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle

Living a healthy lifestyle helps your liver work as efficiently as possible and lowers your risk for liver disease.

Recommendations for a healthy lifestyle may include:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Avoiding alcohol, which makes your liver work harder to do its job
• Only taking medications that you need and carefully following dosing recommendations

Liver Disease Screenings

Screenings are tests we use to screen for disease in people who appear healthy. Liver disease screening tests include:

• Blood panel test: A series of tests we run to examine your liver function. You may receive this test as part of a routine physical or care for another condition.
• Liver disease screening tests: Screening tests help us catch the signs of liver disease as early as possible. For example, people of Asian and Pacific Islander decent who were not born in the U.S. should get screened for hepatitis B every six months. Learn more about liver disease testing.

Optimizing Care for Conditions that Can Lead to Liver Disease

If you have liver disease or other medical conditions, it is important to follow care instructions and follow up with your doctor or our dedicated advanced practice nurses whenever you need help. This helps optimize your care and reduces your risk for chronic liver disease (cirrhosis).

Optimizing your care is especially important if you have:

• Diabetes
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Complications of cystic fibrosis, such as blocked bile ducts

Support for Liver Disease Risk Factors

Certain habits, such as using alcohol and having a poor diet increase your risk for getting liver disease. If you already have liver disease, these habits can make your condition worse.

We help you make important changes that help your liver heal. Change is not always easy, but the effort you put in can help increase your chances for a successful outcome.

Alcohol cessation: Even if you have been misusing alcohol for years, we can help. Using a compassionate approach, our dedicated addiction experts can help you quit for good.

Nutrition: Our team includes a nutritionist dedicated to helping people with liver disease. We help you find foods you like to eat that also help your body get the nutrients it needs. Learn more about medical nutrition therapy.

Vaccines: Some forms of liver disease, such as hepatitis B, are preventable with the help of a vaccine. If you are at risk for hepatitis B and have not been diagnosed, the vaccine prevents you from getting it.