I guys today I am discuses about liver diseases. Understanding Liver Diseases is our main concern. Lets get started.
What Does The Liver Do?
The liver is one of the most important organs in the human body, and certainly the largest one. It is absolutely necessary for living. It is normally found behind the ribs in the upper area of the abdominal cavity, in the right side of the body. It is responsible for performing many important functions, including:
* Metabolizing medications, drugs and alcohol.
* Recycles defective or dead red blood cells and converts them into protein.
* Producing proteins, including those which help in blood coagulation, as well as those which serve as food for several organs and tissues.
* Storing and processing iron, vitamins and minerals.
* Storing glucose (a type of sugar) and metabolizing it into energy.
* Killing harmful germs that access the body through the intestine.
* Allowing proper food digestion by producing bile.
What Are Liver Diseases
A liver disease is a condition in which the liver is unable to perform one or more of its functions adequately. It can happen suddenly (like, for instance, caused by a traumatic accident that causes injury to the liver) or over time (progressive, chronic liver disease).
Causes Of Liver Diseases
Liver disease may be caused by one or more different factors. Most common causes for liver disease are alcohol abuse, viral hepatitis, genetic disorders, obesity, cancer, autoimmune disorders and drugs and other toxins.
Alcohol abuse is the major cause of liver disease in the US and most western countries. Like viral hepatitis and fatty deposits present in morbid obesity, it can lead to scarring and inflammation of the liver, which is known as cirrhosis.
Long exposure to harmful factors like certain drugs and copper may cause liver malfunction as well, and anomalies in the immune system can cause the body to attack its own liver as if it were a foreign element. Cancer is also an extended cause of liver disease, and most of the times presents itself as a manifestation of metastasis of a tumor present in another place in the body.
Symptoms Of Liver Diseases
Although symptoms depend heavily on the type of liver disease present, there are some common signs that may indicate liver malfunction. Fever, chronic fatigue, abdominal pain and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes caused by the liver’s inability to absorb bilirubin) are symptoms commonly found in liver diseases.
Diagnosis Of Liver Diseases
Usually, the first step into a correct diagnosis of a liver disease is to perform laboratory tests, checking for abnormal levels of certain enzymes in the blood. Also, liver diseases (particularly those that cause scarring) are diagnosed by imaging (CT-scans and X-rays); and in cases where diagnosis is difficult, a biopsy of the liver may be needed.
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