What is Liver and its importance in your life?

The liver is a large organ and the largest digestive gland in the adult human body and located in the upper right abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products from the blood. Furthermore, it synthesizes proteins, produces bile and serves as the body's detoxification unit

The liver lies on the right side of the abdominal cavity beneath the diaphragm

There are different kinds of liver diseases. Among which, the most common are the viral hepatitis A, B and C; Alcoholic Liver disease; Fatty Liver disease; Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer.

Alcoholic Liver Disease - Alcohol-induced liver disease, as the name implies, is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol and is a common, but preventable, disease. 1 out of 4 - take 3 drinks a day, will experience alcoholic hepatitis in 10-15 years.

Fatty Liver - an accumulation of fat cells in the liver, common in patients who are overweight or who have diabetes. The three primary types of alcohol-induced liver diseases are: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis.

The mechanism that causes liver damage in many obese children and adults is a protein reaction caused by an excess fatty acids that kills liver cells and results to scarring and liver damage.

Hepatitis A - this inflammation of the liver is usually caused by eating foods or drinking water that has been contaminated with human excrement and from streetfoods.

Hepatitis B - It is a bloodborne and sexually transmitted virus that is acquired by percutaneous and mucosal exposure to blood or other body fluids of an infected. It is more common and much more infectious than AIDS. Chronic hepatitis B may lead to scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis, and cancer of the liver.

Hepatitis C - can lead to a co-infection with Hepa-A or Hepa_B

Cirrhosis - a group of chronic liver diseases in which normal liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar tissue, decreasing the amount of normal liver tissue. This can lead to liver cancer.

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis - a chronic liver diseases that causes slow, progressive destruction of bile ducts in the liver. The disease is 10 times more frequent in women than men, and is usually diagnosed in people 30 to 60 years of age.

Cancer of the Liver - The most common primary malignant tumor of the liver is an hepatocellular carcinoma. This is ranked as the second leading cause of cancer deaths, next to lung cancer, in the Philippines.

Biliary Atresia - a serious disease of the very young infant, which results in the inflammation and obstruction of the ducts that carry bile from the liver into the intestine. This can lead to Cirrhosis.

Neonatal Hepatitis - inflammation of the liver that occurs only in early infancy, usually between one and two months after birth.

Tyrosinemia - a genetic inborn error of metabolism associated with severe liver disease in infancy.

Alpha 1 - Antitrypsin Deficiency - a hereditary disease that may lead to hepatitis and cirrhosis. It is the most common genetic cause of liver disease in children.

Autoimmune Hepatitis - a progressive inflammation of the liver associated with an abnormality of the body's immune system and related to the production of antibodies.

Gilbert's Syndrome - a relatively common and benign congenital (probably hereditary) liver disorder, found more frequently in males.

Hemochromatosis - a genetic condition that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. Injuries to the liver can slowly lead to cirrhosis if the illness is not treated.

Wilson's Disease - An inherited disorder of copper secretion by the liver. Liver transplantation is indicated for those with very advanced disease.

Acute liver disease

Weakness, loss of energy. jaundice, dark urine and light stools, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Chronic liver disease

jaundice, dark urine, abdominal swelling (due to ascites), pruritus (itching), unexplained weight loss or gain, and abdominal pain

These symptoms may not be present until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

• 1. Intravenous drug use
• 2. Acetaminophen overdose
• 3. AIDS
• 4. Blood transfusion received prior to 1990
• 5. Organ transplant recipient
• 6. Risky sexual behaviors
• 7. Eating contaminated foods
• 8. Traveling to an endemic area
• 9. Alcohol use
• 10. Newborns of mothers with Hepa B or C can be transmitted during delivery
• 11. Healthcare workers including dentists and dental hygienists because of blood contact
• 12. Receiving a tattoo