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You &
Your Liver
Your
liver the largest organ in your body,
plays a vital role in regulating life processes.
This
complex organ performs many functions essential to life. You simply
cannot live without it.
Click
below for easy navigation.
The
Location of the Liver
The liver, located behind
the lower ribs on the right side of your abdomen (see diagram), weighs
about 3 pounds and is roughly the size of a football.
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Functions
of Your Liver
This vital organ performs
many complex functions. Some of these are:
-
To convert food
into chemicals necessary for life and growth;
-
To manufacture
and export important substances used by the rest of the body;
-
To process drugs
absorbed from the digestive tract into forms that are easier for
the body to use; and
-
To detoxify and
excrete substances that otherwise would be poisonous.
Your
liver plays a key role in converting food into essential chemicals of
life. All of the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines must pass
through the liver before reaching the rest of the body. The liver is
thus strategically placed to process nutrients and drugs absorbed from
the digestive tract into forms that are easier for the rest of the body
to use. 1n essence, the liver can be thought of as the body's refinery.
Furthermore, your liver plays a principal role in removing ingested
and internally produced toxic substances from the blood. The liver converts
them to substances that can be easily eliminated from the body. It also
makes bile, a greenish- brown fluid which is essential for digestion.
Bile is stored in the gallbladder. The gallbladder contracts and discharges
bile into the intestine, where it aids digestion.
Many drugs taken to treat diseases are also chemically modified by the
liver. These changes govern the drug's activity in the body.
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Your
Liver Helps You by:
-
Producing quick
energy when it is needed;
-
Manufacturing new
body proteins;
-
Preventing shortages
in body fuel by storing certain vitamins, minerals, and sugars;
-
Regulating transport
of fat stores;
-
Regulating blood
clotting;
-
Aiding in the digestive
process by producing bile;
-
Controlling the
production and excretion of cholesterol;
-
Neutralizing and
destroying poisonous substances;
-
Metabolizing alcohol
-
Monitoring and
maintaining the proper level of many chemicals and drugs in the
blood;
-
Cleansing the blood
and discharging waste products into the bile;
-
Maintaining hormone
balance;
-
Serving as the
main organ of blood formation before birth;
-
Helping the body
resist infection by producing immune factors and by removing bacteria
from the bloodstream;
-
Regenerating its
own damaged tissue; and
-
Storing iron.
Diet
and Your Liver
Your
Liver Treats You Right
How Can You
Love Me if You Don't Know Me?
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Liver
Diseases
There are many types of liver
diseases, but among the most important are:
Viral hepatitis (see below);
Cirrhosis (see below);
Liver disorders in children (see below);
Fatty liver
(NAFL/NASH);
Primary Biliary
Cirrhosis (PBC);
Primary Schlerosing
Cholangitis;
Hemochromatosis;
Autoimmune
Hepatitis;
Alagille Syndrome;
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin
Deficiency
What
are other diseases that affect the liver?
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Symptoms
and Signs of Liver Disease
-
Abnormally yellow
discoloration of the skin and eyes. This is called jaundice which
is often the first and sometimes the only sign of liver disease.
-
Dark urine.
-
Gray, yellow, or
light-colored stools.
-
Nausea, vomiiting
and/or loss of appetite.
-
Vomiting of blood,
bloody or black stools. Intestinal bleeding can occur when liver
diseases obstruct blood flow through the liver. The bleeding may
result in vomiting of blood or bloody stools.
-
Abdominal swelling.
Liver disease may cause ascites, an accumulation of fluid in the
abdominal cavity.
-
Prolonged, generalized
itching.
-
Unusual change
of weight. An increase or decrease of more than 5% within two months.
-
Abdominal pain.
-
Sleep disturbances,
mental confusion, and coma are present in severe liver disease.
These result from an accumulation of toxic substances in the body
which impair brain function.
-
Fatigue or loss
of stamina.
-
Loss of sexual
drive or performance.
If
any of these signs or symptoms appear, consult your physician immediately.
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Prevention
-
Don't drink more
than two alcoholic drinks a day.
-
Be cautious about
mixing several drugs; in particular, alcohol and many "over-the-counter"
and prescription medicines do not mix well.
-
Avoid taking medicines
unnecessarily. Also avoid exposure to industrial chemicals whenever
possible.
-
Maintain a healthful,
balanced diet.
-
Consult your physician
if you observe any signs or symptoms of liver disease.
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Viral
hepatitis
Hepatitis (meaning an inflammation
of the liver) is caused by several different viruses. Hepatitis A is
spread through contaminated water and food and is excreted in the stools.
Hepatitis B is acquired from exposure to infected blood or body fluids.
It can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to her baby. Hepatitis
C is primarily spread through infected blood. Depending on the virus,
it may be present in the bloodstream, intestines, feces, saliva and
in other body secretions.
Some people with viral hepatitis have no symptoms. In others, the liver
may become tender and enlarged. The patient may exhibit symptoms including
fever, weakness, nausea, vomiting, jaundice and aversion to food.
In the United States there are more than four million "carriers"
of hepatitis, people who are not ill themselves, but may pass hepatitis
on to others.
A vaccine for hepatitis has been shown to be safe and effective in the
prevention of infection if given before exposure. It is recommended
for all infants, those who come into contact with blood in their work,
and for anyone with more than one sex partner. A vaccine for hepatitis
A has also been shown to be effective for at least 10 years or longer.
Many people recover from hepatitis without treatment, but others may
develop chronic illnesses. Hepatitis B and C are associated with an
increased risk of development of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Treatments
with interferon are effective m some cases of hepatitis B and C.
More hepatitis information:
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis
A Fact Sheet
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis
B: Breaking the Cycle of Infection from Mother to Newborn
Hepatitis
B: Your Child at Risk
La hepatitis
B y el riesgo para sus hijos
Hepatitis
B and Asian Americans
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis
C Factsheet
Sabe
Usted si Tiene Hepatitis C
Hepatitis
C: An Information Resource
Informacion
sobre la Hepatitis C
If you Have
Hepatitis C Infection
Cuestionario
de la Hepatitis C
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Alcohol
Related Liver Disorders
Liver disorders related to
alcohol are alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis.
Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute illness often characterized by nausea,
vomiting, right upper and middle abdominal pain, fever, jaundice, enlarged
and tender liver, and an elevation of the white blood cell count. Sometimes
alcoholic hepatitis may be present without symptoms. Treatment is primarily
supportive and preventive.
Any disease which is brought on by alcohol abuse cannot be reversed
until alcohol intake is stopped. Once alcoholic hepatitis develops,
progression to cirrhosis will occur if alcohol consumption continues.
Alcoholic cirrhosis occurs in 10% to 15% of people who consume large
amounts of alcohol over a prolonged period of time. However, there is
considerable variation in the degree of susceptibility of people to
given amounts of alcohol, and further research is needed to determine
why some individuals are more vulnerable to alcohol than others.
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Cirrhosis
Each year over 25,000 Americans
die from cirrhosis, the seventh leading cause of death in the United
States. In fact, between the ages of 25 and 44, it is the fourth disease-related
cause of death.
Cirrhosis of the liver is a degenerative disease where liver cells are
damaged and replaced by scar formation. As scar tissue progressively
accumulates, blood flow through the liver is diminished, causing even
more liver cells to die. Loss of liver function results in gastrointestinal
disturbances, emaciation, enlargement of the liver and spleen, jaundice,
accumulation of fluid in the abdomen and other tissues of the body.
Obstruction of the venous circulation often causes massive vomiting
of blood.
Anything which results in severe liver injury can cause cirrhosis. Over
half of the deaths from cirrhosis of the liver are caused by hepatitis
and other viruses. Some chemicals, many poisons, too much iron or copper,
severe reaction to drugs, and obstruction of the bile duct can also
cause cirrhosis.
Some types of cirrhosis can be treated, but often there is no cure.
At this point, treatment is mostly supportive and may include a strict
diet, diuretics, vitamins, and abstinence from alcohol. However, there
has been much progress in managing the major complications of cirrhosis
such as fluid retention in the abdomen, bleeding, and changes in mental
function.
Cirrhosis:
Many Causes
La
Cirrosis:sus muchas causas
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Liver
Disorders in Children
Tens of thousands of American
children – from newborn infants to adolescents – are born with or acquire
liver diseases, and hundreds die from them every year. The incidence
of liver disease is estimated to be as high as 1 in 2,500 live births.
There are more than 100 different types of liver diseases that have
been identified in infants and children. The more common of these diseases
are:
Biliary Atresia.
The absence or inadequate size of bile ducts from the liver to the intestine.
More children come to liver transplantation for biliary atresia than
for any other single liver disease.
Chronic Active Hepatitis gradually destroys and replaces the
normal liver cells with scar tissue through an unknown process which
resembles an allergy to the child’s own liver tissue.
Galactosemia
is an inherited disease in which an enzyme needed to digest milk sugar
is missing, causing the milk sugar to build up in the liver and other
organs, leading to cirrhosis of the liver, cataracts of the eyes, and
brain damage. Unless the baby is taken off milk and given an artificial
formula that has no milk sugar, the child will die.
Cirrhosis can be caused by any extensive injury to the liver including
most of the disorders described above.
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Cancer
of the Liver
The most common form of cancer
of the liver is the spread of cancer from other organ systems to the
liver.
Not much is known about cancer which originates in the liver except
that it is associated with viral hepatitis and certain parasites, drugs,
and environmental toxins. Each year, 1,000 Americans die of primary
liver cancer. Chronic carriers of the hepatitis B or C viruses are at
increased risk to develop liver cancer.
Liver Cancer
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Transplantation
Depending on the severity
of your condition, your physician may recommend a liver transplant.
Transplants:
The Gift of Life
Liver Transplant
Facts on Liver
Transplantation
ALF Transplant
Fund Program
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Hope
for Tomorrow Through Research
The liver, the detoxifying
factory in the body, has become an increasingly overworked organ. Liver
diseases appear to be on the increase. Part of this increase may be
due to the increased use of chemicals and a rise in environmental pollutants.
Liver diseases are poorly understood. An adequate investment in effective
liver research has the potential of saving billions of dollars and preventing
untold human suffering.
The present investment in liver research is scant in relation to the
magnitude, destructiveness, and severity of these diseases. Experts
estimate that more than half of all liver diseases could be prevented
if people acted upon the knowledge we already have.
Each year more than 25 million Americans are afflicted with liver and
gallbladder diseases and more than 51,532 die of liver diseases. There
are few effective treatments for most life-threatening liver diseases,
except for liver transplants.
Research has recently opened up exciting new paths for investigation,
but much more remains to be done to find cures.
2004 ALF Liver
Research Award Recipients
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The
information provided comes from the American Liver Foundation, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Illinois Chapter Medical
Advisory Committee.
The American Liver Foundation (ALF) is a national voluntary health organization
dedicated to preventing, treating, and curing liver and gallbladder
diseases through research and education. The contents of this website
are for information purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice,
and should not be relied upon as such, as ALF does not engage in the
practice of medicine. ALF, under no circumstances, recommends particular
treatments for specific individuals, and in all cases recommends that
you consult your physician before pursuing any course of treatment.
Editor
of Content: Brandon Combs, Program Coordinator Updated 7.19.05 |
