Nowadays, liver disease is not such a rare occurrence. This body plays a huge role in maintaining the normal metabolism, vitamins, and in the detoxification of harmful substances that enter the body with food, drugs and alcohol. A person does not think much about her condition, often breaking the diet, drinking alcohol and taking medications uncontrollably. Very often this leads to the fact that liver disease is diagnosed already in the chronic stage.
In order to understand what a huge role this body plays in the human body, we will briefly dwell on its functions.
As mentioned above, the liver is involved in all types of metabolism, especially in protein and fat. A significant part of blood plasma proteins is synthesized in it. In addition, most of the coagulating blood factors are formed in the liver cells. Here gamma globulin is formed, which contains antibodies that protect us from many diseases.
Speaking about lipid metabolism, it should be emphasized that cholesterol is synthesized in the liver, its proper distribution, accumulation and, if necessary, excretion with bile. A particular liver disease almost always leads to a change in the content and concentration of cholesterol in the blood.
In addition, it plays a huge role in hormonal metabolism. In it, the main part of the hormones synthesized in the body is destroyed. Damage to the liver can cause an increase in the level of hormones in the blood and the corresponding symptoms.
And most importantly, almost all the harmful substances that enter the body through food are neutralized by the liver.
Major liver diseases
Among diseases, acute and chronic inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) and cirrhosis are most common. Cirrhosis, as a rule, is a consequence of a long-lasting inflammatory process in the organ parenchyma. Hepatitis develops as a result of three main reasons: the first is viral, which makes up about 70% of all hepatitis, the second is long-term and constant alcohol consumption, and the third is exposure to toxic substances (drugs, food toxins, chemicals, poisons, etc.) .
With the timely diagnosis of hepatitis, the identification of the causative factor, the disease is treatable. With hepatitis of a viral etiology wearing a chronic course, thanks to modern drugs, it is possible to maintain a long remission.
Liver cirrhosis is a common process in which liver cells are destroyed and replaced with connective tissue (fibrosis) with areas of necrosis and inflammation. The main share of diseases is cirrhosis, which developed as a result of long-term current hepatitis. Less commonly, it occurs due to an abnormality in the development of intrahepatic bile ducts or a violation of venous outflow.
The next group of diseases are various forms of portal hypertension and liver failure. In medicine, three forms of hypertension are distinguished: suprahepatic, intra- and subhepatic. The first form is due to an abnormality in the development of the venous system of the liver, in particular the portal vein. The second and third forms occur with cirrhosis, the presence of compression from the outside, as a result of a tumor process or thrombosis of the liver vessels.
Separately, hemochromatosis, which is also called bronze diabetes, is considered as an independent rare liver disease. The main manifestations of it are: cirrhosis, the presence of diabetes, bronze color of the skin and high levels of iron in the blood.
Diagnosis of liver disease
Diagnostic measures that allow you to correctly diagnose a particular liver disease include a correctly collected history and examination of the patient. General and biochemical blood tests can tell a lot, in which you can see the change in the values of protein fractions, cholesterol and liver enzymes. Ultrasound examination allows you to evaluate the size and structure of the organ, the condition of the central vessels, the presence of formations, stones, etc. More reliably the state of the liver can be judged after computed tomography and radioisotope studies.
Prevention of liver diseases is reduced to the observance of proper and balanced nutrition, elimination of the effects of toxic substances on the liver (alcohol, harmful production, etc.), timely treatment of detected diseases, vaccination against hepatitis A and B.