What is the liver and where liver is Located in human body?| anatomy of Liver:
The liver is the largest organ in the body. It is located on your right side, midway between your waist and your arm pit. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.
As Mention in Below Diagram.
Weight and Position of Liver:
An adult's liver weighs approximately 3 pounds and extends approximately from the right 5th rib to the lower border of the rib cage.
The liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. The liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food.
Basic Functions and Role of Liver:
The human liver is a very vital organ. It is so important that we cannot survive if it stops functioning for one single day.
The liver's main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs.
Liver have Multifunctional Roles:
Our liver simultaneously performs over 200 important functions for the body. Some of these important functions include supplying glucose to the brain, combating infections, and storing nutrients.
Liver Play role in Resisting infections by making immune factors and removing bacteria from the bloodstream.
Production of cholesterol and special proteins to help carry fats through the body.
Removes potentially poisonous byproducts of certain medications.
Liver Contains Fats:
10% of our liver is made up of fat. If the fat content in the liver goes above 10% it is considered a “fatty liver” and makes you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Liver Role as Detoxifier:
Our liver detoxifies the harmful things we take in like alcohol and drugs. Without the liver the body cannot process these items.
The liver plays an important role in detoxifying the body by converting ammonia, a byproduct of metabolism in the body, into urea that is excreted in the urine by the kidneys.
Liver Create and detoxify Blood:
The liver creates the blood that circulates in our bodies. In fact, the liver starts producing blood before we are born. Without the liver there would be no blood and no life.
Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
Liver Stocks Vitamin, Irons:
The liver is also stores vitamins and chemicals that the body requires as building blocks. These includes:
- vitamin B12
- folic acid
- iron required to make red blood cells
- vitamin A for vision
- vitamin D for calcium absorption
- vitamin K to help the blood to clot properly.
How does the liver help in digestion?
The Liver Makes Bile:
Bile, a digestive juice produced by the liver, helps the body absorb fat into the bloodstream. Actually, during digestion, your body takes everything your body needs from the food you eat. Fat is one of the things the body gets from food.
Liver have a great Role in Digestive system especially Stomach also depends on Liver, Like Bile, Albumin. Anything that is eaten or consumed, whether it's food, alcohol, medicine or toxins, gets filtered by the liver. Once we ingest food, it is digested by the stomach and intestine, gets absorbed into the blood and goes to the liver.
What are liver enzymes?
An enzyme is a chemical that (speeds up) chemical reactions within the body. There are several enzymes in the liver, including alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). Elevated liver enzymes, found with a blood test, indicate inflamed or injured liver cells.
The normal range of values for AST (SGOT) is about 5 to 40 units per liter of serum (the liquid part of the blood). The normal range of values for ALT (SGPT) is about 7 to 56 units per liter of serum.
What is Liver Function Test (LFT)?
A liver function test, also called an LFT, is a blood test that measures enzymes and proteins in the blood. Enzyme tests show the extent of damage and Inflammation to a liver, while proteins show how well a liver is performing.
What are the signs and symptoms of elevated liver enzymes?| High LFT Values
Elevated liver enzymes usually have no signs or symptoms on their own. The doctor may check for elevated liver enzymes in patients who might have hepatitis. The symptoms of hepatitis include:
- Yellowish eyes or skin (jaundice).
- Pain or swelling in the abdomen.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Dark urine or light-colored poop (less common)
- Poor appetite.
- Lack of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Weakness or feeling very tired
What causes high liver (Elevated) enzymes?
Elevated liver enzymes may be a sign that a person’s liver is not working properly. Damaged or inflamed liver cells release enzymes into the bloodstream, which a blood test will detect.
Here are some Reasons for elevated LFT Values:
- Drink heavily or have an alcohol use disorder.
- Have a family member with liver disease.
- Are very overweight, especially if you also have diabetes or high blood pressure.
- Take medicine that can harm your liver.
- Have gallbladder disease or anemia.
- Hepatitis (Viral Disease).
- Fatty liver disease ( Fatty liver disease occurs when fats build up in the liver. Most people have no symptoms, and it doesn't cause serious problems for them. In some cases, though, it can lead to liver damage. Fatty liver disease may sometimes cause tiredness and pain on the right side of the abdomen, but it often causes no symptoms.)
- high blood sugar
- high blood pressure
- being overweight
- high cholesterol
- Stress and Depression can Also be a Reason for High LFT.
What are some Major diseases and Problems of liver?
Many factors can affect your liver. Here’s a look at some of the main ones.
1-Hepatitis:
Hepatitis is a viral infection(that is Caused by Virus) of your liver. It causes inflammation and liver damage, making it difficult for your liver to function as it should.
There are five types of hepatitis:
Hepatitis A is typically spread through contact with contaminated food or water. Symptoms may clear up without treatment, but recovery can take a few weeks.
Hepatitis B. You get it from somebody else, such as through unprotected sex or taking drugs with shared needles.
Hepatitis C comes from infected blood ( already have Hepatitis C) that gets into your blood. You might get it if you take drugs with shared needles or in connection with HIV.
Hepatitis D is a serious form of hepatitis that only develops in people with hepatitis B, it can’t be contracted on its own.
Hepatitis E is usually caused by drinking contaminated water. Generally, it clears up on its own within a few weeks without any lasting complications.
2-Cancer and Tumors:
Liver cancers first develop in your liver. If cancer starts elsewhere in the body but spreads to the liver, it’s called secondary liver cancer.
If cancer shows up in your liver, that’s most likely because it has spread from another part of your body, like your lungs, colon, or breasts.
3-Immune System Problems:
Your immune system fights off attackers including bacteria and viruses. But it might go wrong and attack one or more parts of your body, such as your liver.
4-Cirrhosis:
Cirrhosis is a type of liver damage where healthy cells are replaced by scar tissue. Common causes include excessive drinking of alcohol, hepatitis B and C virus infections, and fatty liver that's caused by obesity and diabetes.
How to keep liver healthy?
The best way to fight liver disease is to avoid it, if at all possible. Here are 6 best ways to maintain a healthy liver.
1-Eat a balanced diet.
Avoid high calorie-meals, saturated fat, refined carbohydrates (such as white bread, white rice and regular pasta) and sugars. For a balanced diet, eat fiber, which you can obtain from fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, rice and cereals. Also eat meat (but limit the amount of red meat), dairy (low-fat milk and small amounts of cheese) and reduce the amount of saturated fats and hydrogenated fats in your diet.
Hydration is essential, so drink a lot of water.
2-Watch your body weight
Obesity, particularly, abdominal or central obesity, is a major risk factor for developing fatty liver disease one of the fastest growing forms of liver disease. Weight loss can play an important part in helping to reduce liver fat. Together with a balanced diet and regular exercise, a healthy weight can be achieved and maintained.
3-Get vaccinated
There are vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Unfortunately, there’s no vaccine against the hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis A is contracted from contaminated food and water.
Hepatitis B can be contracted through sexual contact, contaminated blood and needles. If you choose not to get vaccinated against hepatitis B, practice safer sex. Talk to your family doctor about these vaccinations.
4-Protect yourself against Hepatitis B or C
Hepatitis C can be transmitted sexually or if there is a chance of blood-to-blood contact.
Practice safe sex and avoid unnecessary sharing of toothbrushes, razors, needles and other personal care items – these can also transmit hepatitis B or C.
If for any reason you come into contact with someone else’s blood, immediately follow up with your doctor.
5-Take care if you have Diabetes, Hypertension and/or High cholesterol:
Keeping your diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol under good control with diet, exercise and/or medications can help limit and prevent liver damage.
Some anti-cholesterol medicines can occasionally have a side effect that causes liver problems. Some medicines can hurt your liver if you drink alcohol when you take them, or if you take many drugs in combination.
6-Use alcohol intake and drink in moderation
Alcoholic beverages can create many health problems. They can damage or destroy liver cells and scar your liver. You may be advised to drink alcohol only in moderation or to quit completely.
