Can I drink milk with a liver abscess?

Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

Updated on September 02, 2024

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Patients with liver abscess can drink milk if they are not allergic to it. The main symptoms of a liver abscess are abdominal pain and irregular high fever, and it is considered a consumptive disease. For such diseases, we must strengthen nutritional support treatment and adopt a digestible, high-protein diet to achieve the purpose of rapid improvement and cure of the disease. Milk is a food with relatively high protein content and is also easy to digest. If there is no milk allergy, patients with liver abscess can drink an appropriate amount of milk. About 250ml per day is beneficial for the rapid recovery of the liver abscess and for improving the body's immunity.

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Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

1min 55sec

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Treatment of liver abscess

The treatment of liver abscesses is divided into medical and surgical treatment. Medical treatment mainly involves antibiotic therapy. For bacterial liver abscesses, especially during the acute phase when the inflammation is localized and an abscess has not yet formed, or there are multiple small abscesses, aggressive conservative medical treatment should be given. This involves the use of high doses of antibiotics and general supportive therapy to control the absorption of inflammation. The second method is antibiotics combined with percutaneous puncture drainage. For a single, larger liver abscess, aspiration of pus can be performed under ultrasound guidance. After aspirating as much pus as possible, antibiotics can be injected into the abscess cavity, followed by repeated punctures over several days, or a tube can be placed to drain the pus. When the abscess shrinks and the fluid output decreases, the tube can be removed. The third method is antibiotics combined with surgical drainage. For larger liver abscesses that have a potential to rupture and cause complications such as acute peritonitis and pyothorax, surgical incision and drainage should be performed urgently, alongside the use of systemic antibiotics. The fourth approach is antibiotics combined with surgical resection. For chronic liver abscesses, or those whose abscess walls do not collapse after drainage, leaving a dead space, or with sinus tracts that continually discharge pus without healing and where liver lobe destruction is severe with loss of normal functions, hepatic lobectomy can be performed.

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Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

1min

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Should one abstain from certain foods if they have a liver abscess?

Dietary restrictions are necessary for liver abscesses, which are purulent liver diseases caused by various microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or amoebae. If not treated promptly, the mortality rate can reach 10% to 30%. What should one pay attention to in their diet? First, absolutely no alcohol consumption during the onset of the disease, as it increases the burden on the liver and delays the healing of the liver abscess. Second, spicy, stimulating, greasy, and fried foods must be avoided as they can aggravate the liver abscess. Third, pickled vegetables and certain foods considered "heaty" by traditional Chinese medicine should also be avoided, such as beef, lamb, dog meat, longan, and lychee. It is recommended to consume a light diet and eat vegetables and fruits that can clear heat and detoxify.

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Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

59sec

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Reasons why liver abscesses do not liquefy

The reasons for the non-liquefaction of liver abscesses, in my opinion, are several. The first is that the abscess is very large, and the second is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. So, what can we do to solve this problem? Firstly, liquefaction of a liver abscess takes time, and it is difficult for a large abscess or a single large abscess to be absorbed on its own. Therefore, it requires combining with percutaneous drainage. Often, even if the abscess has not fully liquefied, fine needle aspiration can still be performed to extract the pus for culture, and then identify the sensitive antibiotics. After administering a sufficient amount and course of the sensitive antibiotics, the liquefaction of the liver abscess can be accelerated and the pus can be expelled sooner.

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Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

59sec

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Clinical manifestations of liver abscess

Clinical manifestations of liver abscess include irregular, purulent fever, especially noticeable in bacterial liver abscesses. The fever is irregular and typically high, preceded by chills, followed by persistent pain in the liver area, which worsens with deep breaths or movement. Depending on the location of the abscess, it can lead to corresponding respiratory and abdominal symptoms, often with a history of diarrhea. If the abscess ruptures, it can evolve into purulent peritonitis with pyothorax. Special signs include liver enlargement, and in the intercostal space corresponding to the abscess, there's localized edema and clear tenderness. Some patients may exhibit jaundice. If the abscess breaks into the chest cavity, lung abscesses can occur, or if it perforates into the abdominal cavity, peritonitis may develop.

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Written by Zhang Wei Wei

Integrative Medicine

1min

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Is a liver abscess serious? How is it treated?

If acute abdomen and peritonitis caused by liver abscesses, rupture, hemorrhage, or pyothorax, etc., liver abscesses are relatively severe. In these cases, the first steps should be the use of adequate antibiotics for a sufficient course, along with systemic supportive therapy, then controlling the inflammation and promoting the absorption of the inflammation. For conditions like rupture of liver abscesses or severe damage to the liver lobes that results in loss of normal function, surgical removal may also be considered. Additionally, for large liver abscesses that have perforated, causing peritonitis, pyothorax, or cholangiogenic liver abscess, while using systemic antibiotics, actively incising and draining the abscess should be considered. (Please use medications and treatment under the guidance of a doctor.)