liver disease
The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.
DEFINITION:
- liver disease
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By far the most common cause of liver disease in the U.S. and other developed countries is excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol-related disorders, which include alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, outnumber all other types of liver disorder by at least five to one.
Worldwide, the pattern of liver disease is different. In parts of Africa and Asia, up to 20 percent of the population are carriers of the hepatitis B virus; in these parts of the world, the most important liver disorders are virus-induced cirrhosis and primary liver cancer.
Apart from alcohol- and virus-induced liver disease, the liver may be affected by congenital defects, bacterial and parasitic infection, circulatory disturbance, metabolic disorders, poisoning, and autoimmune processes.
Liver failure (complete loss of liver function) may occur as a result of acute hepatitis, poisoning, or cirrhosis. Englargement of the liver (hepatomegaly) and jaundice are two common signs of liver disease.
Used in 2 Article abstracts
Used in 2 Article abstracts