Liver Diseases and Disorders

Liver Diseases

• Alcoholic Liver Disease: Caused by excessive, long-term alcohol consumption, leading to fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
• Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): Buildup of fat in the liver, often associated with obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis.
• Viral Hepatitis: Caused by Hepatitis A, B, and C viruses, leading to liver inflammation, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
• Autoimmune Liver Diseases: Include autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis, more common in women, caused by the immune system attacking the liver.
• Wilson's Disease: Rare genetic disorder leading to copper accumulation in the liver and other organs, causing liver disease and neurological symptoms.
• Hemochromatosis: Genetic disorder leading to excess iron accumulation in the liver, if untreated, can cause liver damage and cirrhosis.
• Medications and Toxins: Certain prescription drugs, supplements, and environmental toxins can cause liver injury, examples include acetaminophen overdose, certain cancer drugs, and industrial chemicals.
• Liver Cancer: Primary liver cancers like hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, often develop in the setting of chronic liver disease.

Liver Functions

• Circulatory Function: The liver collects and processes all of the gastrointestinal blood through the portal vein and delivers it to the right side of the heart.
• Coagulator Functions: Production and secretion of coagulation factors, including fibrinogen, prothrombin, and factors V, VII, IX, X, XI, protein C, protein S, and antithrombin.
• Kupffer cells: Ingest bacteria or other foreign material from the blood.

Liver Complications

• Liver Fibrosis: Formation of an abnormally large amount of scar tissue in the liver, can lead to cirrhosis.
• Liver Cirrhosis: Chronic, progressive disease characterized by widespread fibrosis and nodule formation, leading to loss of liver function.
• Portal Hypertension: Coagulopathy, gastroesophageal varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, splenomegaly, hypersplenism, and thrombocytopenia.
• Ascites: Bone disease, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and hepatorenal syndrome.

Gallbladder Disorders

• Gallbladder Disease: Inflammation, infection, stones or blockage of the gallbladder, including cholecystitis, gallstones, and chronic acalculous gallbladder disease.
• Gallstones: Hard deposits made of cholesterol and other substances that form in the gallbladder, very common, especially in middle-aged and older women.
• Cholecystitis: Inflammation of the gallbladder, often caused by gallstones blocking the gallbladder duct, symptoms include severe abdominal pain, fever, and nausea.

Gastric Disorders

• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the esophagus, causing heartburn, regurgitation, and difficulty swallowing.
• Peptic Ulcers: Open sores in the lining of the stomach or small intestine, can be caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria or certain medications, symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea.
• Gastroparesis: Delayed stomach emptying, causing nausea, vomiting, and bloating, more common in women, especially those with diabetes.
• Functional Dyspepsia: Chronic or recurrent upper abdominal pain/discomfort, no clear underlying cause can be identified, affects women more often than men.
• Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach lining, can be acute or chronic, causes stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting, common causes include H.pylori infection, alcohol, and NSAIDs.