Liver disease

The liver

The liver is the second largest organ in the body. It works hard, performing hundreds of complex functions, including:

fighting infections and illness
removing toxins (poisons), such as alcohol ,from the body
controllingcholesterol levels
helping blood to clot (thicken)
releasing bile, a liquid that breaks down fats and aids digestion

Liver disease doesn't usually cause any obvious signs or symptoms until it's fairly advanced and the liver is damaged.

At this stage, possible symptoms can include loss of appetite, weight loss and Jaundice .

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for liver disease

Overview

There are over 100 types of liver disease, which together affect at least 2 million people in the UK.

The liver

The liver is the second largest organ in the body. It works hard, performing hundreds of complex functions, including: fighting infections and illness removing toxins (poisons), such as alcohol ,from

Types of liver disease

Listed below are some specific types of liver disease. The links provide more detailed information about each type. Alcohol-related liver disease where the liver is damaged after years of alcohol m

Significant health problem

In the UK, liver disease is on the increase. Three of the main causes of liver disease are: obesity undiagnosed hepatitis infection alcohol misuse These causes of liver disease are all preventabl

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