The liver synthesizes components of digestion and blood clotting factors and serves to store energy and detoxify the blood. Its significance often under recognized the liver and biliary tract cannot be artificially synthesized, bypassed, or...
Vitamin A was first discovered in 1913 when scientists found a substance in butter and egg yolks that was necessary for growth. Vitamin A is essential for vision, bone, cells, skin, immunity and reproduction, and it promotes overall good health....
An antiviral drug, Valtrex is also marketed under its generic name, valacyclovir. It is designed to fight the herpes virus, which allows it to be used to treat chicken pox, shingles, as well as oral and genital herpes outbreaks. RxList notes that...
Naproxen is a medication that belongs to a class of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs. It is available in prescription and nonprescription forms for the treatment of pain, inflammation and fever. In relatively rare cases,...
Zyvox is the brand name of the generic drug linezolid. Drugs.com reports that Zyvox is an antibiotic used to fight infections in the body. Zyvox may be used to treat bacterial infections like pneumonia and skin infections as well as infections...
Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme that is found in several organs of the body. The enzyme is primarily found in the liver, placenta, bone, kidneys and intestines. Thus, alkaline phosphatase will have elevated levels whenever there is an increase...
The herbal remedy valerian root is primarily used for improving sleep and treating insomnia. People also take it for relieving anxiety and stress. Rare instances of liver dysfunction have been connected to valerian use, although in some cases the...
Cerebral edema is the medical term for brain swelling. By definition, it is an increase in the amount of water in the brain, according to Dr. Jeffrey Frank in "Principles of Critical Care." It can cause part of the brain to shift, which leads to...
Your liver helps filter toxic waste products out of your body. Steatosis is a type of liver condition that occurs when excess amounts of fat accumulate inside your liver cells. The most common cause of fatty liver in the United States is alcohol...
Salmonella infection is an illness caused by the salmonella bacteria that can be found in water, animal feces, soil, and raw meat or eggs. Many people who ingest the bacteria do not develop salmonella disease. However, infants and children are...
Approximately 1 to 3 percent of the 25 million people in the United States with gall stones--commonly spelled as one word, gallstones--develop symptoms of this condition, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. Gallstones are small,...
Remicade is a brand name for the generic medication infliximab, which is a synthetic antibody that works by blocking the actions of a substance known as tumor necrosis factor alpha. According to the medical database UpToDate, it is given via an...
Chromium, an essential element, is often sold as a dietary supplement in the form of chromium picolinate to aid in weight loss, decrease blood glucose levels and increase muscle mass. As many as 90 percent of Americans don't get enough chromium in...
Hypothyroidism describes the medical disorder in which the thyroid gland does not secrete its hormone, resulting in several effects on the metabolism. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a liver disorder that can develop as a result of...
Extensive cancer cell growth within the liver can irreparably damage this vital organ. Sadly, nearly 20,000 patients with liver carcinoma, or cancer, died from this condition in 2009, according to the National Cancer Institute. Patients who...
Cod liver oil products can contain large amounts of vitamin A. If you take this oil, you run a potential risk of getting too much vitamin A and developing a condition called hypervitaminosis A. You can take cod liver oil in reduced doses, however,...
A normal liver contains a certain amount of fat in its cells. Fatty liver is characterized by the buildup of fat in the liver cells. The American Liver Foundation states that if more than 10 percent of the liver's weight is from fat, then fatty...
Fatty liver disease, or steatosis, is the most common cause of elevated liver enzymes in the United States, according to the American Family Physician website. Steatosis results from the accumulation of lipids, specifically triglycerides, in the...
A developmental delay occurs when a toddler or child does not meet developmental milestones as expected. Developmental delays are common among young children, especially toddler. These delays may be physical, such as impaired development of...
Hepatic hemangioma is a type of non-cancerous (benign) tumor composed of abnormally formed blood vessels within the liver. Though this condition can develop in people of any age, hepatic hemangiomas most commonly affect people between the ages of...
Malaria occurs when a mosquito infected with a parasite bites an individual, causing the person to have chills, a high fever and/or anemia. MedlinePlus states that a person may experience the first symptoms of malaria between 10 days to four weeks...
The liver serves as the primary site of fat processing in the body. Digested fat enters the bloodstream from the intestine and travels to the liver, which repackages it into triglycerides for body-wide distribution. Certain drugs interfere with...
Niacin, also called nicotinic acid or B3, was one of the first medications used to treat people with abnormal lipid levels. It raises high-density lipoprotein levels, but also lowers high levels of low-density lipoprotein and high triglyceride...
Genetic diseases are medical conditions that are the result of faulty or mutated genetic material. The diseases are impossible to cure at this time because the abnormal DNA is present in all of the cells in the body. Genetic diseases are usually...
As competitive athletes, bodybuilders may take extreme measures to improve their physical performance and physique. According to the Mayo Clinic, bodybuilders and other athletes may take supplements such as steroids, creatine and diuretics without...
Alcoholism happens when a person is unable to control drinking habits and keeps drinking despite the problems it causes in the family, at work or for health conditions. Alcoholism causes difficulties within society and also hurts the alcoholic by...
Competitive baseball has been around since its first official game back in 1846. Although some of the rules have changed since its first inception, baseball has largely remained the same, even as the world around it has changed. However, the sport...
Imaging studies of the liver, including ultrasound, CT and MRI scans, allow doctors to visualize the structure and texture of the organ. The liver normally has a uniform appearance on imaging scans. A spot on the liver describes an area that...
