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Brain tumor, breast cancer, colon cancer, congenital heart disease, heart arrhythmia. The liver is an organ about the size of a football. It sits just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen. The liver is essential for digesting food and ridding your body of toxic substances. Liver problems can also be caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver, such as viruses, alcohol use and obesity. But early treatment may give the liver time to heal. Liver disease doesn’t always cause noticeable signs and symptoms.

Seek immediate medical attention if you have abdominal pain that is so severe that you can’t stay still. Liver cysts: A cause of stomach pain? Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you.

If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. You’ll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. The viruses that cause liver damage can be spread through blood or semen, contaminated food or water, or close contact with a person who is infected. Untreated liver disease may progress to liver failure, a life-threatening condition. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. Heavy or high-risk drinking is defined as more than eight drinks a week for women and more than 15 drinks a week for men.

If you choose to have tattoos or body piercings, be picky about cleanliness and safety when selecting a shop. Seek help if you use illicit intravenous drugs, and don’t share needles to inject drugs. If you’re at increased risk of contracting hepatitis or if you’ve already been infected with any form of the hepatitis virus, talk to your doctor about getting the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines. Take prescription and nonprescription drugs only when needed and only in recommended doses. Talk to your doctor before mixing herbal supplements or prescription or nonprescription drugs. Avoid contact with other people’s blood and body fluids.

Hepatitis viruses can be spread by accidental needle sticks or improper cleanup of blood or body fluids. Wash your hands thoroughly before eating or preparing foods. If traveling in a developing country, use bottled water to drink, wash your hands and brush your teeth. Make sure to use these products in a well-ventilated area, and wear a mask when spraying insecticides, fungicides, paint and other toxic chemicals. When using insecticides and other toxic chemicals, wear gloves, long sleeves, a hat and a mask so that chemicals aren’t absorbed through your skin. Obesity can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Show references Jameson JL, et al. Approach to the patient with liver disease. In: Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Hepatic drug metabolism and liver disease caused by drugs. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. Alcohol and public health: Frequently asked questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.