Liver Diseases

Summary

Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons.

There are many kinds of liver diseases:

• Diseases caused by viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C
• Diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol. Examples include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
• Liver cancer
• Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease

Symptoms of liver disease can vary, but they often include swelling of the abdomen and legs, bruising easily, changes in the color of your stool and urine, and jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. Sometimes there are no symptoms. Tests such as imaging tests and liver function tests can check for liver damage and help to diagnose liver diseases.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Prevention and Risk Factors

• 25 Ways to Love Your Liver Health American Liver Foundation
• Fighting Fatty Liver: Steps Against a Silent Disease National Institutes of Health

Encyclopedia

• 5′-nucleotidase Medical Encyclopedia
• Abdominal CT scan Medical Encyclopedia
• Abdominal MRI scan Medical Encyclopedia
• Abdominal tap Medical Encyclopedia
• Abdominal ultrasound Medical Encyclopedia
• Aldolase blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Amebic liver abscess Medical Encyclopedia
• Ammonia blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Antimitochondrial antibody Medical Encyclopedia
• Autoimmune liver disease panel Medical Encyclopedia
• Bleeding esophageal varices Medical Encyclopedia
• Ferritin blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatic hemangioma Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatic ischemia Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatic vein obstruction (Budd-Chiari) Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatocerebral degeneration Medical Encyclopedia
• Lactate dehydrogenase test Medical Encyclopedia
• LDH isoenzyme blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Leucine aminopeptidase – urine Medical Encyclopedia
• Leucine aminopeptidase blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Liver biopsy Medical Encyclopedia
• Peritonitis – secondary Medical Encyclopedia
• Peritonitis – spontaneous bacterial Medical Encyclopedia
• Phosphorus blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Portacaval shunting Medical Encyclopedia
• Protein electrophoresis – serum Medical Encyclopedia
• Pyogenic liver abscess Medical Encyclopedia
• Quantitative nephelometry test Medical Encyclopedia
• TBG blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Total iron binding capacity Medical Encyclopedia
• Total protein Medical Encyclopedia
• Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) Medical Encyclopedia

Diagnosis and Tests

• Abdominal and Pelvic CT (Computed Tomography) Radiological Society of North America
• Abdominal Ultrasound Radiological Society of North America
• Body MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Radiological Society of North America
• Chloride Blood Test National Library of Medicine
• Elastography National Library of Medicine
• ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test National Library of Medicine
• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Isoenzymes Test National Library of Medicine
• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Test National Library of Medicine
• Liver Biopsy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Liver Function Tests National Library of Medicine
• Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) Radiological Society of North America
• Needle Biopsy Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin (A/G) Ratio National Library of Medicine

Specifics

• Acute Liver Failure Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Alagille Syndrome National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Benign Liver Tumors American Liver Foundation
• Enlarged Liver Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Gilbert Syndrome Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Liver Cysts: A Cause of Abdominal Pain? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Liver Hemangioma Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Portal Hypertension Merck & Co., Inc.
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) American Liver Foundation
• Recognizing Jaundice: Signs That Your Liver Isn’t Delivering National Institutes of Health

Children

• Alagille Syndrome American Liver Foundation
• Biliary Atresia National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Biliary Atresia Nemours Foundation
• Galactosemia American Liver Foundation
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1 (von Gierke) American Liver Foundation

Genetics

• Alagille syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Childhood myocerebrohepatopathy spectrum: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Congenital bile acid synthesis defect type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Congenital generalized lipodystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Congenital hepatic fibrosis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Crigler-Najjar syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Gilbert syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Glycogen storage disease type III: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Glycogen storage disease type VI: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Hepatic veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• MPV17-related hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Rotor syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Tyrosinemia: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Patient Handouts

• ALP isoenzyme test Medical Encyclopedia
• Ascites Medical Encyclopedia
• Diet – liver disease Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatic encephalopathy Medical Encyclopedia
• Hepatomegaly Medical Encyclopedia
• Liver disease Medical Encyclopedia
• Liver scan Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• American Liver Foundation American Liver Foundation
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Related Issues

• Careful: Acetaminophen in Pain Relief Medicines Can Cause Liver Damage Food and Drug Administration
• Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension American Academy of Family Physicians
• Hepatic Encephalopathy American Liver Foundation

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Alagille Syndrome National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver Diseases National Institutes of Health

Treatments and Therapies

• Dandelion National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Liver Transplantation: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
• Milk Thistle National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) Radiological Society of North America

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis National Center for Health Statistics
• LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury National Library of Medicine

Start Here

• Liver Disease Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Progression of Liver Disease to Liver Cancer American Liver Foundation

Journal Articles

• Liver Diseases