Liver Disorders: Cirrhosis Is A Leading Cause Of Death Among People Aged 45-74 Years

The liver is our largest organ. Located in the upper right portion abdominal cavity, it weighs approximately three to five pounds. It's primary function is to filter toxins out of the blood and break them down into harmless substances that can be eliminated from the body. At any given time, it contains about 300 milliliters of blood, which amounts to just under one and a half cups.

The liver has many other important jobs in addition to its role as the body’s blood filter. It metabolizes nutrients, stores blood glucose in the form of glycogen, and aids in the digestion of fat by producing bile, to name a few of its duties. The liver is divided into four sections called "lobes." The right lobe is the largest, followed by the left lobe. The two remaining sections, the "caudate" and "quadrate" lobes, are smaller by comparison. The right and left lobes are partitioned into compartments called "lobules." A lobule is a cluster of cells surrounding a central vein.

A network of blood vessels called a "sinusoid" nourishes the cells inside a lobule and separates the lobules from each other. The sinusoids are lined with specialized cells called "Kupffer cells." These cells perform the liver’s filtration functions. Kupffer cells belong to a category of cells called "phagocytes," which literally means "big eaters."

And indeed, Kupffer cells have a voracious appetite for foreign substances in the blood. Acting as garbage collectors for the body, Kupffer cells remove dead cells, bacteria, toxins, metabolic wastes, and any other unwanted material that may be circulating through the sinusoids.

When the liver is diseased, a number of important regulatory, metabolic, and storage functions are compromised. Because of the important and extensive roles of the liver, a diseased liver results in serious illness. Among its major functions:

• Produces bile salts
• Metabolizes hormones
• Metabolizes drugs
• Synthesizes glucose
• Forms lipoproteins
• Converts carbohydrates and proteins to fat
• Manufactures cholesterol
• Forms ketones from fatty acids
• Converts ammonia to urea
• Synthesizes plasma proteins
• Synthesizes clotting factors
• Stores glycogen
• Stores vitamins and minerals
• Filters and detoxifies blood
• Eliminates bilirubin- a waste byproduct produced when worn-out red blood cells are broken down.

Cirrhosis is one of the most serious of all Liver-Disorders. Cirrhosis is a chronic degenerative condition characterized by progressive scarring and buildup of fibrous tissue in the liver. Liver function declines as the disease progresses. Cirrhosis is a leading cause of death among people aged 45-74 years.

There are three types of cirrhosis: post-necrotic, biliary, and portal (alcoholic). Approximately 80 percent of cirrhosis cases are portal. Although the major cause of portal cirrhosis is alcoholism, it can sometimes occur in non-alcohol drinkers. Since the majority of alcoholics do not develop cirrhosis, other factors clearly play a role in the development of the disease.

The liver undergoes several important alterations as cirrhosis worsens. At the beginning, fatty deposits begin to form. Alcohol displaces fat as an energy source. Fat that would normally be used as fuel then begins to accumulate. This fat buildup in the liver causes it to enlarge.

This enlargement leads to alcoholic hepatitis, with inflammation and destruction of liver cells. Areas of damaged tissues called "lesions" develop in patches throughout the liver. Eventually, the liver becomes scarred and distorted by bands of fibrous tissue. Liver function is destroyed and blood flow to the liver is obstructed.

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis can result from chronic alcohol abuse, certain medications, trauma, or viral infection. Viral hepatitis is caused by infection from one or more viruses, including hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. All forms of viral hepatitis can cause acute illness; some may lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

It Is Extremely Important To Boost Your Immune System
Plant-based healers such as milk thistle seed extract, dandelion, and turmeric help flush out toxins, thwart free radicals, and support liver regeneration.

Viral hepatitis is highly contagious. People can be chronically infected and yet remain free of symptoms, unknowingly passing the virus to others. Some may become non-symptomatic carriers, never realizing they have been exposed.

Those at greatest risk for contracting viral hepatitis include health care workers and students, dentists, dental hygienists, and anyone regularly exposed to infectious diseases. Other than strict adherence to universal precautions and proper sanitation, vaccinations offer the greatest protection against certain strains of the viruses.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is contracted by mouth, primarily through food and water that contains fecal matter. HAV infection is common in regions with poor sanitation and waste disposal, where drinking water is contaminated with sewage that contains the virus. HAV is also spread by contamination of food by infected persons. In 90 percent of all cases, people infected with the Hepatitis A virus have no symptoms.

Exposure and subsequent recovery result in lifelong immunity. Persons at high risk include international travelers, household members or sexual contacts of infected persons, and those residing in facilities with poor sanitation or high rates of infection. Children are particularly vulnerable to HAV infection. The hepatitis A vaccine is a highly effective prevention tool. Good hygiene and sanitation practices are other primary preventative measures.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is transmitted through contact with infected blood or body fluids. In the majority of infected individuals, symptoms are mild or absent. Approximately 15 to 20 percent experience joint pain and 10 percent develop jaundice. Ten percent of those infected develop chronic HBV infection. Active chronic HBV infection is associated with high risk of cirrhosis.

Those at highest risk of becoming infected include sexually active heterosexuals, homosexual men, infants born to infected mothers, health care workers, and IV drug users. Incidence of hepatitis B has decreased since the introduction of the HBV vaccine, but has increased since 1993 among the sexually active and IV drug users. Prevention is aimed at vaccinations, screening of blood, organ, and tissue donors, and universal precautions among health care workers.

Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common form of chronic viral hepatitis. Seventy percent of people with HCV infection become permanent carriers of the virus. Many develop cirrhosis within 5 to 30 years. HCV is transmitted in the same manner as HBV, through contact with blood and body fluids, most often in the same risk groups. Prevention is targeted at high-risk behavior modification, screening of donors, and universal precautions. NO vaccine is available for HCV.

The most serious type of viral hepatitis, hepatitis D, is caused by infection of the hepatitis delta viru(HDV). Although hepatitis D accounts for less than 5 percent of chronic viral hepatitis infections, it leads to cirrhosis in 70 percent of cases. HDV can only occur among patients with HBV who are positive for the HBs-antigen. The HBV vaccine provides protection against HDV. Other identified strains of viral hepatitis include hepatitis E and G, although the symptoms and outcomes of infection by these viruses are not well understood at this time.