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Liver: The body's chemical laboratory

INDEX

1. Functions of the liver
2. Liver diseases
3. Symptoms of liver damage
4. Treatment of liver damage
5. Liver transplantation
6. Who can give a lever?
7. Care after liver transplantation

Liver

The liver is the body's chemical laboratory and an essential organ for life. In the human body, the ribs are located in the uppermost part of the abdomen. It weighs about 15 to 18 kilograms. Padma Shri Dr. The Kidney and Liver Transplant Branch is functioning as a branch of a banyan tree called Kidney Hospital started by the efforts of HL Trivedi which holds the record of having the highest number of Kidney and Liver Transplants in the country.

There are many causes of liver damage, with different types of liver disease in children and liver disease in adults. If the bile duct coming out of the liver at birth is deformed, bile accumulates in the liver and the baby gets jaundice (jaundice). This condition is called biliary atresia and most children have to have surgery to connect the bile ducts to the intestines.

Functions of the liver

The food we eat first goes into the stomach and from there it goes into the intestines. This food is then digested in the intestines and the digested food passes from the intestines through the blood vessels to the first liver. The liver breaks down these foods and releases and stores carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, etc. Along with food, many microbes also enter the liver from the intestines and the liver destroys them. In addition the liver produces bile which plays an important role in the metabolism of fats.

Blood is constantly flowing in the blood vessels of our body. Bleeding occurs if there is an injury to the body, but the bleeding does not continue because the blood clots in a short time. Blood clotting components also make up the liver. The person becomes ill and is given various medicines or herbs. The liver destroys most of the drugs in the body and therefore the effect or side effects of the drugs do not last long.

Liver diseases

There are many causes of liver damage. Liver diseases in children and diseases of the liver in adults are very different. If the bile duct coming out of the liver at birth is deformed, bile accumulates in the liver and the baby gets jaundice (jaundice). This condition is called biliary atresia and most children have to have surgery to connect the bile ducts to the intestines. The success of this operation lasts for a few years and some children have more liver damage. In addition, due to the fact that some of the stimulants for chemical reactions do not occur in the liver from birth, some children get serious diseases which are difficult to treat.

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The liver of adults is damaged by some bad habits or by an infectious virus infection. Alcohol consumption, obesity, and hepatitis B infection are common causes. In some cases the side effects of the drug can cause the liver to deteriorate rapidly. E.g. Medications used for TB can cause liver damage in some individuals and that is why doctors recommend laboratory tests of liver function before and after administering these drugs to TB patients.

Symptoms of liver damage

Symptoms include early onset of fever, weakness, loss of appetite, heaviness in the upper abdomen after eating, and jaundice. If the disease progresses rapidly, liver failure can lead to life-threatening conditions. The patient is more likely to become infected, have poor memory and fall asleep, the kidneys are affected and the urination is reduced. Such symptoms are a sign of acute liver failure.

In most cases the patient does not show any signs of liver disease for years. E.g. Individuals who are overweight and obese have a fatty liver (fatty liver) as well as a large number of diabetics or patients whose liver deteriorates slowly and cirrhosis of the liver occurs. is coming. Cirrhosis is a serious disease in which the patient's stomach becomes watery, the legs become swollen and the diet is reduced. Symptoms include vomiting of blood or bleeding from the stool, extreme weakness, infection of the water in the stomach, lethargy during the day due to brain relaxation, etc. The liver of a patient with such symptoms can never recover and the patient has to go to the hospital frequently as time goes on.

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Treatment of liver damage

Some liver diseases are incurable while some are curable. Patients with viral hepatitis are more likely to recover completely by taking medication as advised by a doctor, and weight loss and regular exercise can help the fatty liver to become fat-free. Stopping alcohol consumption can restore the damaged liver in the early stages.

In some diseases such as biliary atresia in children, the operation to connect the bile duct to the intestine does not work in some children after some years. Such children need timely liver transplantation. Similarly in some metabolic liver diseases e.g. Liver transplantation may be required in conditions such as primary oxalosis, maple syrup and urinary tract disease. Patients with cirrhosis of the liver suffer from severe problems with increased pressure in the main blood vessels of the liver, which is called decompensated cirrhosis. Most of these patients need a liver transplant sooner or later.

Liver transplantation

When the liver has deteriorated beyond a certain level or it becomes difficult to survive, the damaged liver is removed from the patient's body and a new liver is inserted. This is called a liver transplant or a liver transplant. The new liver is given to most patients by a donor from their family. The liver is the only organ in the body that, if removed in half, returns to its size within a week to three months, and using this property of the liver, half of the liver donor's liver is removed and transplanted into the patient.

Who can give a lever?

The age of the liver donor should be more than 18 years and less than 5 years. Liver can be donated by parents, siblings, spouses or persons above 18 years of age. If the person has obesity in the liver, he can donate the liver only after losing weight. In addition, the liver of a dead person can be used if the relatives of the brain dead person accept organ donation. Within 10-15 minutes of a heart attack, the liver can be donated from a dead person with the permission of a relative and used for transplantation to another needy patient.

Care after liver transplantation

The new liver implanted in the patient's body is not the patient's own organ. So the body's immune system tries to destroy it (Rejection). To control the immune system, certain types of drugs are given to the patient called immunosuppressive drugs. These drugs stop the rejection of the liver and the patient lives a normal life. Side effects of the drug such as diabetes or high blood pressure (BP) and lowering of the immune system are seen in some patients and therefore additional treatment is required. Hygiene is essential for every transplant patient. Timely follow-up of a doctor to a transplanted patient is essential for a lifetime.

Dr. Pranjal Modi, Liver and Kidney Transplant Surgeon