Cirrhosis is a disorder of the liver in which the normal tissue is damaged and, over a long period of time, is replaced by nonfunctioning scar tissue, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK....
Alcoholic liver disease involves liver injury due to the abuse of alcohol. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, although less than 50 percent of heavy alcohol drinkers develop serious liver disease, nearly 20 percent of those with severe liver...
Numerous dietary supplements may be helpful in treating your liver damage. Liver disease is any condition that impairs your liver's ability to function normally. Common signs and symptoms associated with liver disease include abdominal pain,...
Alcoholic steatohepatitis is defined as an accumulation of fat in the cells of the liver resulting from alcohol consumption. Approximately one-third of the patients who are diagnosed with alcoholic steatohepatitis are asymptomatic. According to...
Jaundice occurs when your skin, mucous membranes or eyes turn yellow from a yellow pigmented substance called bilirubin. About 1 percent of your red blood cells retire each day, states the University of Maryland Medical Center. These retiring...
Alcohol abuse is not always easy to detect, either for yourself or for others. The immediate physical signs of alcohol abuse are only obvious during or just after a session of heavy drinking. However, many other physical signs may develop over a...
The Johns Hopkins Gastroenterology and Hepatology website reports the incidence of alcoholism in the United States is 7 percent as of 2010. A common consequence of alcoholism is chronic liver disease, which begins with increased fat deposition in...
MedlinePlus defines hepatitis as the inflammation of the liver. People can develop hepatitis as a result of a virus, such as with hepatitis C, or from an ingested substance, such as alcohol. Both alcoholic hepatitis and hepatitis C can cause...
Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to an article in the June 25, 2009, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Heavy drinking not only damages the liver, but also...
Heavy use of alcohol can interfere with a number of biological aspects of the body and effect the immediate functioning of the brain, heart and other organ systems. While alcohol can have negative short-term effects on biological function, chronic...
The liver is a vital organ in the body that performs many important functions on a daily basis to keep the body healthy. Some of the main duties the liver performs are aiding in digestion, storing fats and vitamins, making proteins, and filtering...
Jaundice is caused by certain medical conditions and is characterized by a yellow tinge to the skin and eyes. If you have jaundice, drinking plenty of fluids and following a diet that is low in fat, rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can...
The liver's job is to clean the body of toxins by processing drugs and detoxifying the blood. Hepatocytes or liver cells also provide necessary building blocks such as amino acids and glucose. Elevated liver enzyme blood tests indicate liver...
Jaundice can impact nearly anyone. It is a common condition found in newborns, but a mother can develop jaundice as well. It occurs when too much bilirubin, the yellow pigment of the blood, builds up in the body. MedlinePlus explains that...
Medline Plus states that when a person becomes dependent on either drugs or alcohol, so he feels he needs a particular substance to function or operate, he has a drug addiction. Drug and alcohol dependency typically interfere with physical and...
Alcoholism develops when a person has a strong craving to drink, a loss of control that makes it difficult to stop drinking, a tolerance to alcohol that requires larger amounts of alcohol when drinking and a physical dependence on alcohol. The...
Alcohol affects everyone differently. Depending on how much alcohol is consumed and for how long, drinking can play a major role in physical and mental illness. Recovery from chronic alcoholism may include the need for medical attention and social...
Your liver is a large organ located in your upper abdominal cavity that performs hundreds of functions within your body. The American Liver Foundation states that three of the most important things you can do to maintain proper liver function are...
Alcohol is processed and metabolized by the liver. In the liver, the alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical that is normally rapidly converted into other, less dangerous chemicals. However, when large amounts of alcohol...
Symptoms for the contagious liver disease Hepatitis B appear in about 70 percent of adults according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A fairly common transmission route for Hepatitis B unique to women occurs during birth,...
When the skin and eyes take on a yellow tinge, the reason is usually jaundice. A substance called bilirubin, which remains after old red blood cells are disposed of, is responsible for the yellow pigment. Each day, about 1 percent of your red...
The liver is a crucial organ. It is about the size of a football and is located on the right side of the abdomen under the rib cage. It helps to digest food, absorb nutrients and remove toxins. While it is usually able to heal itself after...
Many anti-inflammatory side effects can be prevented if patients take such medications according to the label directions. According to the Merck Manual, a pharmaceutical reference book, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofin, naproxen and...
If your jaundice symptoms appear suddenly, immediately make an appointment with a medical doctor or qualified alternative healthcare provider. The sudden onset of jaundice may be a sign of a very serious bile duct blockage. However, if you are...
Liver diseases are also called hepatic diseases. Doctors who specialize in treating them are called hepatologists. Patients might be referred to a hepatologist because they have an abnormal liver function test or are showing symptoms of liver...
Fatty liver, also called steatosis, is caused by a fat build up within liver cells. In this benign condition, excess fat deposition does not cause liver damage. Rarely, patients develop deep jaundice. Steatosis is often an alcohol-induced...
Obstructive jaundice is a condition in which the bile produced by the liver has insufficient drainage into the digestive system. As a result, the bile backs up in the liver and the bloodstream. There are several possible causes of obstructive...
Tylenol is the name brand of a drug called acetaminophen. It is commonly used to relieve pain and fever. According to the National Institutes of Health, the most common cause of poisoning in the world is overdosing on acetaminophen. It is...
Milk thistle is distinctive in its healing effects on the liver and, in fact, milk thistle extract is the only antidote for Amanita mushroom poisoning, which causes severe liver damage. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years and...