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![]() ![]() This is the early stage of liver disease in which the liver becomes inflamed or enlarged. The main stages of chronic liver disease are described below. It progressively affects healthy liver cells, leading to a decline in liver functioning over time. What are the different stages of liver disease?Īs mentioned above, chronic liver failure occurs in several stages. Other symptoms of liver cancer can include feeling full after small meals and unexplained weight loss. Many of the symptoms of liver cancer are similar to the symptoms of liver disease mentioned above. When present, early symptoms and signs of liver disease include: Liver disease does not always cause symptoms. Please continue reading to learn more about the different stages of liver disease. However, early diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases can allow affected people to live normal lives. The scar tissue blocks normal function, which can ultimately progress to liver failure, a potentially life-threatening condition. Over time, the damage can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring). Each stage of liver disease has an increasing effect on the liver’s ability to function properly. On the other hand, chronic liver failure occurs gradually over time, during which healthy liver tissue goes through several stages of damage. More than a hundred different liver diseases have been identified, including alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, glycogen storage diseases, portal hypertension, chronic hepatitis B, and dozens of others.ĭamage to the liver can happen quickly - this is called acute liver failure. They can also be caused by factors such as obesity, alcohol use, and viral infections. Liver problems can be genetic (inherited). Millions of Americans are affected by liver disease. The liver plays a critical role in digesting food, storing energy, and ridding the body of toxic chemicals. It is about the size of a football and sits in the upper right abdomen, just under the rib cage. Such an approach is likely to find favour with the courts if the matter does need to be determined by the courts.The liver is the largest organ in the human body. It is sensible for parties to adopt a collaborative approach and to flag with other parties as soon as possible where life expectancy experts are going to need to be involved. Life expectancy is a vital issue in catastrophic injury claims and the right experts needs to be instructed to address it. Permission for “bespoke” life expectancy evidence will not normally be given unless the clinical experts cannot offer an opinion at all or state that they require specific input from a life expectancy expert.Where the injury does impact life expectancy, the “normal” route is for evidence via the clinical experts.In this instance, the court refused the defendants confirming that: Here, the defendant sought leave to rely upon the evidence of a physician to comment on life expectancy. Shortly after Mays, a further case, Dodds v Arif and Aviva Insurance, provided guidance on whether it is suitable for bespoke life expectancy evidence to be obtained. The court also noted that as this was a high-value claim, such evidence might make a significant difference to quantum. The judge concluded that this kind of expert evidence might assist the case, given the number of potential co-morbidities and given that the neurology experts had not felt able to address the impact of them all. In this case, the claimant unsuccessfully resisted the involvement of the defendant’s statistics-based expert evidence to determine life-expectancy. In Mays v Drive Force (UK) Limited, the court allowed the parties to adduce expert evidence on the claimant’s life expectancy because the claimant, who was claiming substantial damages, also suffered a number of co-morbid conditions as he was a smoker who suffered from high blood pressure, obesity and ulcerative colitis. ![]() However where there are obvious non-accident related factors, such as alcohol, smoking, or being overweight, which are likely to impact upon life expectancy, the opinion of a life expectancy expert will be required, although two recent cases have provide some much needed clarity. Where life expectancy is likely to be an issue, the courts preference is to be guided by the clinicians and in many cases, the views of the clinicians should be adequate to determine life expectancy issues. It is therefore unsurprising that over the last few years, clashes between parties on the issue of life expectancy experts has intensified. Life expectancy is a key factor in high value cases given its impact on multipliers. ![]()
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