Loving your liver: Organ crucial to good health

Published: Friday, February 11, 2011
By Dr. Allen Yudovich
Henry Ford Health System

Of all the body’s vital organs, the heart is the one that gets the most attention this month. But right underneath it is one of the hardest-working organs we have, our liver. It doesn’t carry the touch of romance the heart does, but it is crucial to our well-being.

Our livers change food into nutrients and filter out harmful substances. The vital functions it performs include:

• converting nutrients into energy, hormones and other essential chemicals;
• cleansing toxic substances (including alcohol) from the blood, then neutralizing or rerouting them for disposal;
• processing drugs;
• storing vitamins, minerals, sugars and iron;
• regulating fat and cholesterol; and
• manufacturing bile -- a fluid that helps digest food.

The liver is also generally very good at keeping itself healthy. When it stops functioning well, the term liver disease is often used. But there are actually many forms of liver disease. When symptoms appear, they may include jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or eyes), abdominal pain, lose of appetite and weight loss, dark urine and pale bowel movements. Sometimes the first indication of a problem is found in the results of liver function tests ordered by a physician.

Cirrhosis

Some forms of liver disease are more common in older adults. Cirrhosis most frequently develops after years of alcohol abuse, although moderate drinkers sometimes develop it as well. Over time, the liver becomes scarred and loses its ability to do what it was designed to. Other liver diseases, including hepatitis B, C and D, can also lead to cirrhosis.

As the disease progresses, symptoms that may develop include nausea, fatigue, itching, vomiting blood and a swollen abdomen.

When cirrhosis is caused by excessive drinking, avoiding alcohol and eating a healthy diet may be beneficial because of the liver’s ability to regenerate itself. Medication is used to treat cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis.

Cirrhosis is also one of the risk factors for liver cancer, which most often affects people older than 40. It also affects men more frequently than women. Other risk factors include smoking, heavy drinking, hepatitis B and C and cancer in another area of the body.

Liver cancer

Liver cancer can be either primary (meaning it started in the liver) or secondary (beginning elsewhere in the body and spreading to the liver). Secondary liver cancer is far more common than primary, because blood that may carry cancer cells is filtered through the liver.

Symptoms include abdominal pain or swelling, jaundice and weight loss, but these rarely appear in the early stages of the disease. Various tests are used to confirm a cancer diagnosis. These may include a biopsy, CT scan, an MRI, ultrasound and blood tests.

Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, along with newer treatments such as radiofrequency ablation, which uses heat to destroy tumors, and cryosurgery, which uses cold to do the same thing. A liver transplant could also be necessary.

Treatment is most successful when the cancer is diagnosed in an earlier stage and when the patient does not also have cirrhosis.

Hepatitis

All forms of hepatitis are inflammations of the liver. The symptoms are similar to other forms of liver disease, but are often mild. A blood test is needed to confirm a hepatitis diagnosis. Treatment ranges from bed rest and avoiding alcohol to medication, depending on the form of hepatitis someone has.

Primary biliary cirrhosis

This is a chronic inflammation of the liver’s bile ducts that affects women more than men. Those who contract it are usually between 40 and 60 years old. It can lead to cirrhosis and eventually destroy the bile ducts. A healthy diet and medication can alleviate the symptoms, which include itching, fatigue and jaundice. A liver transplant may eventually be recommended.

Alcoholic liver disease

As its name implies, this disease is tied to alcohol abuse, although not all heavy drinkers develop it. Alcoholic liver disease generally develops over a period of years and leads to cirrhosis. Symptoms often don’t appear in the early stages of the disease. When they are present they may include abdominal pain, jaundice, fever, excessive thirst and a loss of appetite. They may also worsen after heavy drinking.

All of the above symptoms could also be indicators of a different illness. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should discuss them with their physician.

Allen Yudovich, M.D., is a gastroenterologist at the Henry Ford Medical Center - Fairlane in Dearborn. For an appointment call (800) HENRYFORD.

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