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Diseases of the Liver
By Doctor Luis J. Cárdenas
Gastrointestinal Surgeon
The liver is a large, reddish organ that sits mainly in the upper abdomen above the stomach and below the diaphragm. It weighs about 1.3 kg in women and 1.8 kg in men, making it the largest solid organ in the body. The liver requires 13% of the blood supply and performs approximately 500 different functions.
It is made up of cells called hepatocytes, which absorb food and detoxify the blood by eliminating harmful substances. The liver is therefore a vital organ for digestion and for ridding the body of toxins.
Liver disease can occur as an inherited condition or it can be caused by multiple factors such as a viral infection, alcohol consumption or obesity, for example.
Major Liver Diseases
The diseases associated with disorders in the liver are many and with diverse causes; Among the main ones are:
Jaundice
In this disease, the bile accumulates in the bloodstream and the body tissues turn yellow. The first place it is noticed is on the whites of the eyes, but over time the whole body is covered in this tonality, it can even be seen in the urine and sweat that have a yellowish tint. This disease is generally caused by one of three situations:
a) It can be a hereditary disease that also affects the spleen.
b) it may be due to gallstones obstructing the duct from the liver; and c) it can be caused by a liver infection known as hepatitis.
Hepatitis
It is often caused by a viral attack, whereby the organ swells causing excruciating pain on the right side of the body. It takes a long time for you to notice any recovery; Although many patients are completely relieved, there is no guarantee that this will happen in 100% of the cases.
The symptoms of hepatitis have a slow onset and therefore difficult to detect early. It is usually accompanied by fever, clear loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Cirrhosis
Although it is one of the most common liver diseases, it is also one of the most misunderstood. In this the liver has a rough appearance, which was previously thought to be the direct result of chronic alcoholism. As its cause remains a mystery, it can exist undetected for many years.
Hepatomegaly
This liver disease can disturb the blood flow in the liver or cause tumors to generate (benign or bad), which add to the liver mass. Some of the most common causes of hepatomegaly are metastatic cancer, fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis.