Here is a concise summary of the provided text:
**Title:** Hidden Signs of Liver Disease You Can Identify on Your Legs
**Key Points:**
1. **Insidious Liver Diseases:** Conditions like cirrhosis and liver cancer (causing 2 million deaths/year) often show no early symptoms.
2. **Leg-Related Signs of Liver Disease:**
* Small brown spots or spider veins (may indicate liver failure, fibrosis, or hepatitis)
* Cracked heels (could suggest chronic liver disease affecting bile production)
* Itching on the feet (common in primary biliary cirrhosis)
* Unpleasant foot odor (may indicate liver-related toxin buildup)
* Swelling of the feet (edema, a late symptom of liver disease)
* Pain or tickling sensations in the legs (non-inflammatory nerve damage)
* Nail fungus (linked to disturbed intestinal microflora in liver disease)
* Erythema (reddened skin, potentially related to liver conditions like cirrhosis or hepatitis)
3. **Common Causes of Liver Disease:**
* Side effects of drugs
* Excess sugar, canned food, and lack of fresh/raw foods in the diet
* Few vegetables in the diet
* Alcohol consumption
* Excess protein in the diet
4. **Important Note:**
* These signs do not provide an accurate diagnosis; if you identify with one or more, consult a doctor.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, each with a number and in short sentence form, excluding opinions:
**Liver Disease Statistics and General Facts**
1. 2 million people die from liver diseases like cirrhosis and liver cancer every year worldwide.
2. The liver consists of 500,000 individual liver lobules, visible only through a microscope.
3. Each liver lobe is penetrated by arteries, veins, bile ducts, nerves, and lymphatic vessels.
**Liver Function and Regeneration**
4. The liver filters blood at a rate of 1.4 liters per minute.
5. The liver can regenerate; even if 80% is removed, the remaining 20% can recover over time to its original size.
6. The liver is responsible for storing glucose reserves, which are essential for brain energy.
**Symptoms of Liver Disease Observable on the Legs and Feet**
7. Small brown spots or spider veins on the legs (below the knees) can be signs of liver disease.
8. These spots are associated with poor circulation and deteriorating blood vessel condition.
9. Spider veins can appear due to increased estrogen levels, which can be a sign of liver disease.
10. A large number of spider veins can indicate fibrosis, cirrhosis, or alcoholic hepatitis with a 95% probability.
11. Cracked heels can indicate chronic liver disease due to impaired bile secretion affecting vitamin absorption.
12. Itching on the soles of the feet often occurs in people with chronic liver diseases, especially those with damaged bile ducts.
13. Unpleasant odor from the feet can be related to liver disease, as the body tries to compensate for the liver's failure by secreting more toxins through the skin.
14. Swelling of the feet (edema) can be a late symptom of liver disease, often appearing in the evening after physical activity.
15. Pain or swelling in the feet can occur with almost any serious liver damage.
**Nail and Skin Conditions Related to Liver Disease**
16. Toenail fungus can be associated with an unhealthy liver, which disturbs the balance of intestinal microflora.
17. Erythema (reddened skin areas) can appear with liver diseases like cirrhosis, acute viral or autoimmune hepatitis.
**Causes of Liver Disease**
18. Common causes of liver problems include side effects of drugs, excess sugar in the diet, canned food, lack of fresh/raw foods, few vegetables in the diet, alcohol consumption, and excess protein in the diet.
19. One in ten cases of an adverse reaction to a drug can end in severe liver intoxication.
**General Health and Liver Disease**
20. Liver transplantation is the second most common solid organ transplantation, but the demand far exceeds the supply, with only 10% of those in need receiving a new liver.