Browse this site for useful information on Liver Diseases and possible causes. Viruses can cause Liver Disease also drinking excessive level of alcohol can cause Liver...

Some liver diseases are completely preventable; for instance, the most common liver disease, cirrhosis, is preventable through living a healthy lifestyle. Others, such as congenital liver diseases, are totally beyond the control of individuals. Causes of preventable liver disease include poor diet, drug and alcohol abuse, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and genetics, among others. Liver disease caused by poor diet comes from eating too much fat and cholesterol; such a diet creates fatty organs, including a fatty liver. Fatty livers have an accumulation of fat inside that creates inflammation and development of fibrous tissues, which damage the organ and hinder its ability to function. In severe cases, this process continues on, turning into cirrhosis—permanent...

There are numerous possible symptoms of liver disease; some are specific to ailments of the liver, while others are signs of numerous other conditions. Proper diagnosis is the only way to know for sure. The number one sign of liver disease is jaundice. This is the yellowing of the skin, tongue, and eyes, and is clearly noticeable. Jaundice occurs because there is too much bilirubin in the bloodstream; bilirubin results from the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells. Other indicators include dark yellow or brown urine and light-colored stools, both caused by the reduction or stoppage of bile production. Other signs include: Loss of appetite accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and unusual weight loss or weight gain. These digestive problems occur because...

Doctors diagnose liver disease by conducting a thorough physical exam, discussing the person’s symptoms, taking down the patient’s medical history, conducting blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and sometimes even biopsies. Medical professionals typically do not discover liver disease through routine medical checkups, but they can detect signs of it in blood tests. When a blood test comes back with the liver enzymes aminotransferases—specifically aspartate aminotransferase (AST or SGOT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT or SGPT)—present in the sample, doctors know there is damage to the liver. They know this because these enzymes are normally contained inside of liver cells, and if there is damage to the liver, then those cells spill...

There are numerous medicines available for the treatment of hepatitis B, C, and D, such as the antiviral alpha interferon; for other liver diseases, doctors may use ribavirin, lamivudine, steroids, and antibiotics. For individuals infected with hepatitis A, there is now a vaccine available; those who are infected but do not have the vaccine should get an immune globulin treatment as soon as possible or within two weeks of jaundice appearing in order to prevent the disease. In children afflicted by Wilson’s disease, doctors may prescribe trientine, penicillamine, or zinc acetate. In cases where medication is not appropriate, medical procedures such as surgery may help. In children with biliary atresia, doctors can perform a Kasai surgery, where they remove...

Liver disease encompasses a group of conditions, diseases, and infections that affect the cells, tissues, structures, or functions of the liver. It includes conditions such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure, cancer, and porphyria. The liver is a vital organ, responsible for many facets of bodily functions, including filtering the blood, creating bile, processing and connecting fats to carriers, storing sugars, and aiding the body in moving and storing energy. It also makes vital proteins, metabolizes medications such as barbiturates, sedatives, and amphetamines, stores copper, vitamins A and D, and numerous B vitamins, and helps break down and reuse red blood cells. Problems with the liver can be life threatening at worse, and life altering, at best. If...