LIVER

DISEASE
WHAT IS LIVER DISEASE?
Liver disease is any condition that causes liver inflammation or
tissue damage and affects liver function. The liver is a vital
organ
located in the upper right-hand side of the abdomen. It is as
Large as a football, weighs 2-3 pounds, and performs numerous
functions for the body:
 converting nutrients derived from food into essential blood
components
 storing vitamins and minerals, regulating blood clotting,
producing proteins and enzymes
 maintaining hormone balances, and metabolizing and
detoxifying
 substances that would otherwise be harmful to the body.
 The liver makes factors that help the human immune system
fight infection, removes bacteria from the blood, and makes
bile, which is essential for digestion.
TYPES OF LIVER DISEASE
Type of Liver Disease Description Examples of
Causes/Conditions

Rapid decrease in liver

Acute liver function
Drugs, toxins, a variety
of liver diseases
failure
Autoimmune- The body produces an
inappropriate immune
PBC (Primary biliary
cirrhosis), PSC
associated response against itself;
(Primary sclerosing
sometimes
cholangitis),Autoimmu
develops antibodies
ne hepatitis
against own liver tissue

Budd-Chiari Blood clots impede blood Hypercoagulable

flow from the liver; disorders, liver injury,
syndrome symptoms such as ascites cancer, parasitic
enlarged liver, jaundice infection
and abdominal pain can
develop
Cirrhosis Scarring of liver tissue Can be caused by a variety of
leads to decreased liver conditions but usually a result
function of chronic hepatitis, alcoholism,
or chronic bile duct obstruction
Genetic Gene mutations can lead Hemochromatosis, Alpha-1
to liver damage, disease; antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson's
relatively rare conditions disease
Hepatitis Acute or chronic liver Viruses, alcohol abuse, drugs,
inflammation toxins,
autoimmune, nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease (NAFLD)
Infections Certain infections can Viral hepatitis, Parasitic
cause various degrees of infection
liver damage, blockage of
bile ducts
Liver cancer A cancer that originates in Increased risk
the liver with cirrhosis and chronic
hepatitis; hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC) is most
common primary liver tumor

Obstruction of bile Complete or partial Tumors, gallstones,

ducts blockage of bile ducts inflammation, trauma
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES AND
RISKS OF THE DISEASE?
 congenital birth defects, or abnormalities
of the liver present at birth
 metabolic disorders, or defects in basic
body processes
 viral or bacterial infections
 Alcohol or poisoning by toxins
 certain medications that are toxic to the
liver
 nutritional deficiencies
 trauma, or injury
 LIVER DISEASES MOST LIKELY TO BE SEEN IN
CHILDREN INCLUDE:
 Galactosemia, an inherited disease in which the body cannot
tolerate certain sugars in milk. These sugars can build up,
causing serious damage to the liver and other organs of the
body.
 Alagille's syndrome, a condition in which the bile ducts
narrow and deteriorate, especially during the first year of
life.
 Alpha 1- antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic liver disease in
children that can lead to hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver
 Neonatal hepatitis, which is hepatitis that occurs in a
newborn during the first few months of life
 Tyrosinemia, a disorder that causes serious problems with
liver metabolism.
 Hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a condition in which thin blood
vessels allow frequent and easy bleeding of the skin and
digestive tract.
 
 Reye's syndrome, a condition that causes a buildup of
fat in the liver. This condition has been linked in some
cases to use of aspirin, especially in conjunction with
chickenpox, influenza, or other illnesses with fever.
 Wilson's disease, an inherited condition that causes a
buildup of the mineral copper in the liver
 Thalassemia, a group of hereditary anemias, or low red
blood cell counts
 Biliary atresia, a condition in which the bile ducts
extending from the liver to the intestine are too small
in diameter or are missing
 Chronic active hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver
that causes severe scarring and interference with liver
function
 Cancer of the liver, which may result from cancer in
other parts of the body that have spread to the liver
 WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE?

 Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin

 darkened urine
 Nausea
 Loss of appetite
 Unusual weight loss or weight gain
 Vomiting
 Diarrhea
 Light-colored stools
 Abdominal pain in the upper right part of the
stomach
 Malaise, or a vague feeling of illness
 Generalized itching
 Varicose veins (enlarged blood vessels)
 Fatigue
LIVER DISEASES MOST LIKELY TO BE SEEN IN ADULTS
INCLUDE:
 Cirrhosis, which is a serious condition that causes
tissues and cells in the liver to be replaced by scar
tissue.
 Type I glycogen storage disease, which causes problems
in controlling blood sugars when a person fasts
 Porphyria, a condition that causes a malfunction in how
the body uses porphyrins.
Porphyrins are important in making hemoglobin in red
blood cells, to carry oxygen throughout the body. 
 Hemochromatosis, a condition which causes the body to
absorb and store too much iron. The iron buildup causes
damage to the liver and other organs.
 Primary sclerosing cholangitis, a condition that causes
the bile ducts of the liver to narrow due to
inflammation and scarring
 Sarcoidosis, a disease that causes a buildup of
lesions within the liver and other organs of the
body.
 Gallstones, which may block the bile duct.
 Hepatitis, an inflammation and infection of the
liver caused by any of several viruses.
 Cystic disease of the liver, which causes lesions
and fluid-filled masses in the liver.

Alcohol-related liver diseases include:

 Fatty liver disease, which causes an enlarged liver
 Alcoholic hepatitis
 Alcoholic cirrhosis
 A rare but severe form of the liver infection called acute
fulminant hepatitis causes liver failure. Symptoms of liver
failure include:

 An enlarged and tender liver

 Enlarged spleen
 Susceptibility to bleeding
 Encephalopathy, which is a disorder that affects how the
brain functions
 Changes in mental status or level of consciousness
 Ascites, which is an accumulation of fluid inside the abdomen
 Edema or swelling under the skin
 Aplastic anemia, a condition in which the bone marrow
cannot make blood cells
 

 
COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH
 Alcoholism prolonged use of alcohol can
cause a variety of mental and physical
conditions. Consumption of alcohol affects
the liver and other organs.
LIVER CANCER IS USUALLY A SECONDARY DEVELOPMENT.
TUMORS OF THE LUNG, COLON, PANCREAS, OR STOMACH
CAN SPREAD TO THE LIVER.
CIRRHOSIS SCARRING OF NORMAL TISSUE AND
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER LEADS TO CIRRHOSIS. IT IS
ONE OF THE TOP TEN DISEASES IN THE WORLD THAT
CAUSES DEATH.
Viral Hepatitis
Any of the following viruses can affect the liver
and cause death: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B,
Hepatitis
C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E, and Hepatitis X. Among
these types A, B and C are the main types of viral
hepatitis.
WARNING!

REMINDING YOU OF YOUR YOUTH DRINKING ALCOHOL AND

FOR YEARS TO COME. SMOKING
TREATMENT
  Conventional cancer treatments such as
chemotherapy and radiation;
 
 Chemoembolization (injecting cancer-killing
drugs into the liver via a catheter) and other
interventional cancer treatments;
  Bile duct drainage via catheter
 Stenting (placement of a tiny mesh-metal tube
to support the bile duct or a blood vessel in
the liver); 
 Intravenous blood pressure-lowering
medications; and
  Liver transplant. 
Includes:

 motivate patient to stop drinking alcohol

 vaccination for hepatitis
 eradication of causative pathogens
 cholecystectomy