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hepatitis forums

 One of the safest dietary practices for someone with a diseased liver is to avoid additional toxins such as alcohol, alternative remedies that are unknown to science and all recreational drugs

 Some forms of hepatitis will develop into a chronic disease, usually when the infection has been longer than 6 months.

tag:liver,hepatitis ABCD,virus,

Hepatitis and cirrhosis


The liver is the largest organ in the body, weighing up to 2.5 percent of total lean body mass.
 Located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, the liver varies in size and shape, depending on each person’s anatomy. 
Its main function is to metabolize substances in the blood in preparation for excretion, although it has many other important functions, including synthesis of most essential proteins, production of bile, and regulation of nutrients such as glucose, cholesterol, and amino acids.
The main kind of liver cell is called a hepatocyte. These cells comprise about two thirds of the liver’s mass. 
The liver’s blood supply comes from the hepatic artery, which supplies oxygen-rich blood. The liver also receives blood from the portal vein, which filters blood from the stomach, intestines, pancreas, and spleen.
The most common liver function tests are enzyme, bilirubin, albumin, and prothrombin time tests. The liver contains thousands of enzymes, only a few of which are routinely measured as indicators of liver function. These enzymes include the following:
Alkaline phosphatase. Abnormal levels may indicate bile obstruction, liver injury, or some forms of cancer.
Alanine transaminase. Abnormal levels may indicate hepatitis or other liver cell injury.
Aspartate transaminase. Abnormal levels may indicate injury to liver, heart, muscle, or brain.
Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Abnormal levels may indicate organ damage, drug toxicity, alcohol abuse, or pancreatic disease.
Lactic dehydrogenase. Abnormal levels may indicate damage to liver, heart, or lung, and excessive breakdown of red blood cells.
5'-nucleotidase. Abnormal levels may indicate impaired bile flow.
The other major liver tests include the serum bilirubin test, which measures bile excretion, and the albumin test, which can indicate liver damage. Finally, the prothrombin time test measures the time needed for blood to clot. Because most blood clotting factors are produced in the liver, and they have rapid turnover, this test can help measure the liver’s ability to synthesize cells. 
Prothrombin may be elevated in hepatitis and cirrhosis as well as in disorders related to vitamin K deficiency.
Taken together, these tests provide physicians with a relatively complete picture of liver function and can help diagnose liver disease.

Cirrhosis Symptoms

Many people with cirrhosis have no symptoms during the early phases of the disease. Symptoms are caused by either of 2 problems:

1.Gradual failure of the liver to carry out its natural functions

2.Distortion of the liver's usual shape and size because of scarring

The symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver can vary greatly from patient to patient.


tags:Cirrhosis,Cirrhosis Symptoms,The symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver,hepatitis B and C,chirosis,

Symptoms hepatitis

Hepatitis Acute

Clinically, the course of acute hepatitis varies widely from mild symptoms requiring no treatment to fulminant hepatic failure needing liver transplantation. Acute viral hepatitis is more likely to be asymptomatic in younger people. Symptomatic individuals may present after convalescent stage of 7 to 10 days, with the total illness lasting 2 to 6 weeks.
Initial features are of nonspecific flu-like symptoms, common to almost all acute viral infections and may include malaise, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. More specific symptoms, which can be present in acute hepatitis from any cause, are: profound loss of appetite, aversion to smoking among smokers, dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin (i.e., jaundice) and abdominal discomfort. Physical findings are usually minimal, apart from jaundice (33%) and tender hepatomegaly (10%). There can be occasional lymphadenopathy (5%) or splenomegaly (5%).


Hepatitis Chronic

Majority of patients will remain asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, abnormal blood tests being the only manifestation. Features may be related to the extent of liver damage or the cause of hepatitis. Many experience return of symptoms related to acute hepatitis. Jaundice can be a late feature and may indicate extensive damage. Other features include abdominal fullness from enlarged liver or spleen, low grade fever and fluid retention (ascites). Extensive damage and scarring of liver (i.e., cirrhosis) leads to weight loss, easy bruising and bleeding tendencies. Acne, abnormal menstruation, lung scarring, inflammation of the thyroid gland and kidneys may be present in women with autoimmune hepatitis.
Findings on clinical examination are usually those of cirrhosis or are related to etiology.


tags:Chronic, hepatitis,Acute hepatitis,

What is liver transplantation?

What is liver transplantation?
Liver transplantation is surgery to remove a diseased or injured liver and replace it with a healthy one from another person, called a donor. Many people have had liver transplants and now lead normal lives.You cannot live without a liver that works. If your liver stops working as it should, you may need a liver transplant.
Your liver helps fight infections and cleans your blood. It also helps digest food and stores a form of sugar your body uses for energy. The liver is the largest organ in your body.
Some signs and symptoms of liver problems are
-yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, a condition called jaundice
-feeling tired or weak
-losing your appetite
-feeling sick to your stomach
-losing weight
-losing muscle
-itching
-bruising or bleeding easily
-bleeding in the stomach
-throwing up blood
-passing black stools
-having a swollen abdomen
-becoming forgetful or confused
Each transplant center has rules about who can have a liver transplant. You may not be able to have a transplant if you have
  • cancer outside the liver

  • serious heart or lung disease

  • an alcohol or drug abuse problem

  • a severe infection

  • AIDS

  • trouble following your doctor’s instructions

  • no support system

Most livers come from people who have just died. This type of donor is called a deceased donor. Sometimes a healthy living person will donate part of his or her liver to a patient, usually a family member. This type of donor is called a living donor. Both types of transplants usually have good results.
All donated livers and living donors are tested before transplant surgery. The testing makes sure the donor liver works as it should, matches your blood type, and is the right size, so it has the best chance of working in your body. Adults usually receive the entire liver from a deceased donor. Sometimes only a portion of a whole liver from a deceased donor is used to fit a smaller person. In some cases, a liver from a deceased donor is split into two parts. The smaller part may go to a child, and the larger part may go to an adult....

All donated livers and living donors,transplants usually have good results.,Some signs and symptoms of liver problems are,

What is liver transplantation?

The liver

The liver is the only internal human organ capable of natural regeneration of lost tissue ; as little as 25% of a liver can regenerate into a whole liver.Currently, there is no artificial organ or device capable of emulating all the functions of the liver.An irregularly shaped, dome-like solid structure, the liver consists of two main parts (a larger right lobe and a smaller left lobe) and two minor lobes.

The liver is located just below the diaphragm primarily in the upper right part of the abdomen, mostly under the ribs,it also extends across the middle of the upper abdomen and part way into the left upper abdomen.This organ plays a major role in metabolism and has a number of functions in the body, including glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone production, and detoxification.A human liver normally weighs 1.44–1.66 kg (3.2–3.7 lb), [ 3 ] and is a soft, pinkish-brown, triangular organ.....


tag:liver,human liver,functions,natural,

MS - Multiple sclerosis II

Multiple sclerosis:Two new trials show,the cancer drug alemtuzumab (Campath) reduces the risk of disease relapse in people with multiple sclerosis.British researchers led by Alastair Compston of the University of Cambridge compared alemtuzumab with interferon beta 1a, the most common drug used to treat MS.In both trials, alemtuzumab appeared to increase the risk of certain autoimmune disorders, particularly those affecting the thyroid.Disability rates were 13 percent among those in the alemtuzumab group and 20 percent of those in the interferon beta 1a group. The first trial found no significant difference in disability rates between the two groups of patients.
...MS occurs when the body's immune system starts to attack the coating of nerve fibers. 


Alemtuzumab, which is used to treat leukemia and other cancers of the immune system, works by altering the number, proportions and functions of certain types of lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that play a major role in the functioning of the immune system.There is no cure for MS, and existing drugs only aim to reduce the symptoms of the disease.

tags:the cancer,MS,immune system

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