Liver Diseases and Disorder

The liver is an organ in vertebrates, including humans. Plays a major role in metabolism and have a number of functions in the body including glycogen storage, synthesis of plasma protein, and drug detoxification. It also produces bile, which is important in digestion. The medical terms related to the liver often start in hepatic.

Liver diseases
Many liver diseases are accompanied by jaundice caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the system. Bilirubin results from the breakup of the hemoglobin of dead red blood cells, normally; the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and excretes it through bile.

* Hepatitis, Inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons, autoimmunity or hereditary conditions.
* Liver Cirrhosis is the formation of fibrous tissue in the liver, replacing dead liver cells. The death of liver cells can for example be caused by hepatitis, alcoholism or the virus through contact with other liver- toxic chemicals.
* Hemochromatosis, a hereditary disease which causes the accumulation of iron in the body, eventually leading to liver damage.
* Liver Cancer primary hepatocellular carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma and metastatic cancers, usually from other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
* Wilson disease, a hereditary disease that causes the body to retain copper.
* Primary sclerosing cholangitis, an inflammatory disease of bile - duct, autoimmune in nature.
* Primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune disease of small bile ducts
* Chiari Syndrome, hepatic vein obstruction.
* Gilbert 's syndrome, A genetic disorder of bilirubin metabolism, found in approximately 5% of the population.

There are also many pediatric deficiency of liver disease, including biliary atresia, alpha-1 antitrypsin, the Alagille syndrome and progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, to name but a few.

A number of liver function tests are available to test the proper function of the liver. These tests for the presence of enzymes in the blood those are normally most abundant in the cells, metabolites or products of the liver.