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What is the liver?
The liver is by far the largest organ in the body, it is situated in the upper abdomen and is protected from injury by the rib cage. The liver has many
important functions some of which include:
- The production of bile.
- Helps the body to digest
fats.
- Stores vitamins, iron and other essential
nutrients until the body needs them.
- Converts the food you
eat into energy needed for daily life.
- Aids in the removal of
toxic substances (e.g. drugs and alcohol)
from the bloodstream.
- Makes blood proteins
What can go wrong with the liver?
The liver can repair itself quite
easily and can usually function with only a small portion of it working. There is very little evidence of an ageing problem and in the absence of disease the liver functions fully right into old age. There are hundreds of liver disorders but some are quite rare. The most common ones are:
Alcoholic Liver Disease - For more information on alcoholic liver disease click here.
Cirrhosis - For more information on cirrhosis click here.
Gallstones - For more information on gallstones click here.
Hepatitis - For more information on hepatitis click here.
Liver Cancer - For more information on liver cancer click here.
Obstetric Cholestasis - For more information on obstetric cholestasis click here.
How do I know if there is anything wrong with my liver?
Most liver disease is symptom less and when there are symptoms they are often vague. However, as the disease progresses you may feel generally unwell as well as experiencing any of the following:
How are liver problems diagnosed?
Your doctor may have a feel of your liver from a physical examination and may also carry out a urine test which among other things looks for bilirubin and urobilinogen, if these levels are raised this could indicate the liver is damaged and a sign of liver disease (eg hepatitis,cirrhosis). If these levels are raised and/or the liver feels larger or harder than it should then your doctor may recommend a LFT (Liver Function Test) for more detailed results and looks at the following:
- Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) - these are enzymes that help to process proteins and may be raised if your liver is inflamed or injured.
- Bilirubin - This is a chemical in bile, a damaged liver cannot process bilirubin and so levels can build causing the skin and/or eyes to look yellow (jaundice). An increase in bilirubin issuggestive of liver disease.
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase- these are enzymes and might be raised when there is a blockage in your liver or bile duct.
- Albumin - This is a protein and may be low in some cancers or if you have been eating little and are malnourished.
Your doctor may also recommend a x-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI scan and a biopsy may be taken.
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This test is suitable for you to do at home and can indicate liver disease. This test is simple to use and takes only 60 seconds.
For more information about this test click here |
| Code: LIVER |
Price: UK£ 10.50 |
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To read more about specific liver conditions, please click on the topic of interest above.
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