Liver Diseases - Also called: Hepatic disease

Liver Diseases

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/liverdiseases.html

Also called: Hepatic disease

Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It is also one of the most important. The liver has many jobs, including changing food into energy and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood. Your liver also makes bile, a yellowish-green liquid that helps with digestion.

There are many kinds of liver diseases. Viruses cause some of them, like hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Others can be the result of drugs, poisons or drinking too much alcohol. If the liver forms scar tissue because of an illness, it's called cirrhosis. Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin, can be one sign of liver disease.

Like other parts of your body, cancer can affect the liver. You could also inherit a liver disease such as hemochromatosis.
Start Here

* Liver Problems: Common Problems and How to Avoid Them(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/liver/DG00038/METHOD=print
* Progression of Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/progression/

Overviews

* Liver Wellness(American Liver Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://www.liverfoundation.org/downloads/alf_download_29.pdf

Latest News

* Alcohol Abuse May Resume After Critical Surgery(07/31/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_67585.html
* Fatty Liver Disease Ups Heart Risks for Obese Kids(06/30/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66410.html
* Diabetes Boosts Liver Cancer Risk in Hepatitis, Cirrhosis Cases(06/05/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_65470.html
* More News on Liver Diseases http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_l.html#liverdiseases

Diagnosis/Symptoms

* Clinical Manifestations of Liver Disease(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec10/ch135/ch135a.html
* ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)From the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ercp/
* Liver BiopsyFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/liverbiopsy/
* Liver Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/liver_panel/glance.html
* NewNeedle Biopsy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/needle-biopsy/MY00088/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
* Ultrasound - Abdomen(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=abdominus
Also available in Spanish http://www.radiologyinfo.org/sp/info.cfm?pg=abdominus

Treatment

* Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=tips

Alternative Therapy

* DandelionFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/dandelion/
* Kava Linked to Liver DamageFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/kava/
* Milk ThistleFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/milkthistle/

Specific Conditions

* Acetaminophen Use and Liver Injury(American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) - http://publish.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/acetaminophen.aspx
* Acute Liver Failure(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/liver-failure/DS00961/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
* Alcohol Alert: Alcoholic Liver DiseaseFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa64/aa64.htm
* Budd-Chiari Syndrome(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec10/ch138/ch138d.html
* Enlarged Liver(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/enlarged-liver/DS00638/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
* Fatty Liver(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/fattyliver/
* Gilbert's Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/gilberts-syndrome/DS00743/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
* Jaundice(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/jaundice.html
* Liver Cysts: A Cause of Abdominal Pain?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/liver-cysts/AN00148/METHOD=print
* Nonalcoholic SteatohepatitisFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/
Also available in Spanish http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/nash/
* Primary Sclerosing CholangitisFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarysclerosingcholangitis/
* Zellweger SyndromeFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/zellweger/zellweger.htm

Related Issues

* Debunking Liver Disease Myths(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/chapters/newengland/news/150/
* High-Protein Diets: Safe If You Have Kidney and Liver Disease?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/high-protein-diets/AN00847/METHOD=print
* NewJAMA Patient Page: Abdominal Paracentesis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/299/10/1216.pdf

Tutorials

* NewDigestive System: The Inside Story(Johns Hopkins Medicine) - Requires media player - http://hopkins-gi.nts.jhu.edu/images/shared/home/database/digestiveSystem.html

Anatomy/Physiology

* Liver: Anatomy and Functions(University of Utah, Health Sciences Center) - http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthinfo/adult/liver/liver.htm

Clinical Trials

* ClinicalTrials.gov: Alagille SyndromeFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Alagille+Syndrome%22
* ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver DiseasesFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Liver+Diseases%22

Genetics

* Genetics Home Reference: Alagille syndromeFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=alagillesyndrome
* Genetics Home Reference: Cholesteryl ester storage disease(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=cholesterylesterstoragedisease
* Genetics Home Reference: TyrosinemiaFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=tyrosinemia

Research

* Fatty Liver Disease May Raise Heart Disease Risk in Overweight, Obese Kids(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=452

Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

* Article: Gastrointestinal complications of diabetes. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18619079&tool=MedlinePlus
* Article: Relation between alanine aminotransferase concentrations and visceral fat accumulation among... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18614719&tool=MedlinePlus
* Article: Acute liver failure. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18570915&tool=MedlinePlus
* Liver Diseases -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=liver+diseases[majr]+NOT+(hepatitis[mh]+OR+liver+neoplasms[mh]+OR+liver+cirrhosis[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Directories

* American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases: Physician Referral Service(American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) - http://publish.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/PhysicianReferralService.aspx

Organizations

* American Liver Foundation - http://www.liverfoundation.org/
* National Digestive Diseases Information ClearinghouseFrom the National Institutes of Health - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/
* National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesFrom the National Institutes of Health - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Statistics

* FASTATS: Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/liverdis.htm
* Liver Facts(American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) - http://publish.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/liverfacts.aspx

Children

* Alagille Syndrome(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/alagille/
* Biliary AtresiaFrom the National Institutes of Health(National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/atresia/
* Choledochal Cysts(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site714/mainpageS714P0.html
* Common Characteristics of Liver Disease(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) - http://www.chop.edu/consumer/your_child/condition_section_index.jsp?id=-8650
* Galactosemia(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/galactosemia/
* Type I Glycogen Storage Disease(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/gsdi/
* Tyrosinemia (TYR) - Type I, II & III(Save Babies Through Screening Foundation) - http://www.savebabies.org/diseasedescriptions/tyrosinemia.php

Women

* Pregnancy and Liver Function(American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) - http://publish.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/LiverFastFactsPregnancyandLiverFunction.aspx

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

* Cirrhosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cirrhosis.html
* Hepatitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitis.html
* Hepatitis A - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisa.html
* Hepatitis B - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisb.html
* Hepatitis C - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisc.html
* Liver Cancer - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/livercancer.html
* Liver Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/livertransplantation.html
* Reye Syndrome - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/reyesyndrome.html
* Wilson Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/wilsondisease.html
* Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Liver Diseases is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/

Date last updated: August 02 2008
Topic last reviewed: February 26 2008