Chronic liver disease is a broad term used to describe liver damage resulting from many different causes. Liver disease usually begins with inflammation of the liver, known as hepatitis, and scarring of the liver, known as fibrosis. If the...
The most amazing benefit of a healthy liver is life. Your liver is vital -- you would die without it. In fact, liver disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States, and one of every 10 Americans has some form of it, according to...
The liver is the largest organ in the body and one of the most important. Complications from liver surgeries can be life threatening. Complications may occur in some liver surgeries more than others; for example, in liver transplants, one...
An atypical hemangioma of the liver, more commonly called a hepatic hemangioma, is a medical condition characterized by the appearance of a non-cancerous growth on the liver that is composed of dilated blood vessels. Treatment of an atypical...
A liver transplant is a surgical procedure in which a diseased or damage liver is replaced with a healthy liver from a donor. Several conditions may warrant liver transplantation including cirrhosis, biliary atresia and liver cancer. A liver...
Cirrhosis is the buildup of scar tissue in the liver. Scar tissue stems from damage to the liver that develops over time. Liver damage is a critical issue because the liver is a vital organ. According to MayoClinic.com, several causes of cirrhosis...
Chronic liver disease is a broadly descriptive term encompassing many conditions and diseases that cause damage to liver tissue. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, up to 50 percent of chronic liver diseases are...
End stage liver disease occurs when the liver has sustained severe damage, usually over the course of many years, and is in the process of failing completely. Alcohol abuse and infection with the hepatitis C virus are the two leading causes of...
Alcoholic liver disease develops in people who consistently consume large amounts of alcohol. Alcohol is a harsh chemical that the liver must filter out of the blood. If the liver is constantly filtering alcohol out of the blood, it may first...
Blood consists of red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight infections, platelets that function in clotting, and plasma, the liquid that carries all the other components of blood. The plasma makes up more than half the total...
The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network reports that over 100,000 people are listed on national registries for organ transplants. The need for organ donation is escalating as new patients sign up every day. Registering as a living organ...
Ornithine transcarbamylase, or OTC, deficiency is an inherited disorder that occurs in approximately one of every 80,000 births, according to Genetics Home Reference. It is caused by a mutation in the OTC gene which produces a specific enzyme...
Cirrhosis of the liver kills 25,000 people in the United States each year and is the 11th leading cause of death, the American Gastroenterological Association reported in 2007. A liver transplant, which entails the removal of the diseased liver...
Cirrhosis -- or scarring of the liver -- is a serious disease that can block the blood and bile flow from your liver; in severe cases, a liver transplant is needed. Cirrhosis is often accompanied by malnutrition due to nausea and loss of appetite,...
Because there are over 15,000 people on the waiting list for a liver, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and many more not listed but also in need, there aren't enough donated livers for everyone. Medical centers that do...
With the number of people in the United States waiting for a life saving organ transplant growing greater than 100,000 people, the need for organ donors is higher than ever. Taking time to educate yourself about organ and tissue donation is the...
Primary liver cancer arises from a malignant tumor in the liver. The human liver filters waste from the body, stores nutrients and creates bile, which is necessary for us to get nutrition from our food. It also creates factors that help our blood...
Hepatitis C is one of six different forms of the virus, and, according to the Mayo Clinic, hepatitis C is one of the more serious. If you didn't know you were exposed to hepatitis C and you never went to the doctor for check ups, you'd never know...
Hemangioma on the liver, also referred to as liver hemangioma, hepatic hemangioma and cavernous hemangioma, is a benign tumor that develops on the liver. The tumor consists of irregularly formed blood vessels. MayoClinic.com states liver...
Liver transplant surgery removes a diseased and failing organ and replaces it with a healthy, functional whole liver or partial liver. These organs must be harvested from a recently deceased donor or, in the case of a partial liver donation, from...
Methionine is a special sulfur-containing amino acid that, like all other amino acids, forms the building blocks of proteins. It also has a number of unique functions. For example, it helps in the regulation of gene expression and the synthesis of...
Hepatitis C, or HCV, is a virus transmitted through blood. Transmission modes include drug use when needles or straws are shared; sharing such personal hygiene items as razors, toothbrushes or scissors; infected tattoo or piercing equipment; and...
The liver is the largest organ in your body and functions to break down substances into functional products used in the body. After use, the products are excreted into the bile or blood. Substances in bile are excreted in the stool and those in...
Hepatitis C is caused by a virus that is simply called the "hepatitis C virus." It is spread by contact with the blood of someone who has the infection, explains the Directors of Health Promotion and Education. Hepatitis C can damage the liver....
Liver cirrhosis refers to the end stage of chronic liver disease where continuous damage to normal liver tissue has resulted in the formation of scar tissue. Often individuals with mild to moderate liver cirrhosis exhibit no symptoms. If the...
The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2010 in the United States, over 24,000 individuals will be diagnosed with liver cancer, and over 18,000 people will die from the disease. By the time most symptoms of liver cancer appear, the disease...
The usual first step in treating biliary atresia is definitively diagnosing the condition through exploratory surgery. During this surgery, physicians are able to observe the biliary system for damaged and or missing bile ducts. The procedure is...
As the name indicates, fatty liver disease is the buildup of fat inside the cells of the liver. The liver is primarily responsible for fat metabolism, and small amounts of fat pose no serious risk, but excessive fat deposits can lead to...
Cirrhosis of the liver describes a chronic liver disease characterized by the formation of scar tissue in the liver. Because blood flows from the digestive tract directly to the liver, ingested toxins such as medications, illegal drugs and alcohol...
