FAQs

Q. What does the liver do?

A. The liver:

* Stores iron reserves, vitamins and minerals
* Makes bile to help digest food
* Detoxifies poisonous chemicals, including alcohol, beer, wine, and drugs
* Stores energy by stockpiling sugar (carbohydrates, glucose and fat)
* Makes blood
* Manufactures new proteins
* Makes clotting factors to help blood clot
* Removes poisons from the air, exhaust and smoke we breathe.

Q. What does nutrition have to do with the liver?

A. Everything we eat, breathe and absorb through our skin must be refned and detoxified by the liver, so special attention to nutrition and diet can help keep the the liver healthy.

Q. Why is the liver important in nutrition?

A. 85-90% of the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines caries important nutrients to the liver where they are converted into substances the body can use.

Q. Do I have to worry about what I eat and drink with liver disease?

A. There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about what diet people should be on when they have a liver disease. Some years ago, when patients had cirrhosis and liver failure, they were banned from having salt and restricted protein intake - the complete opposite of what specialists generally advise now. It is very important that you see a specialist dietician if your liver unit or hospital has one. They can do assessments of your dietary intake, as well as your current status, including fat/ protein stores. This is important if your liver disease is worsening, or in the event you may require a liver transplant. Speaking to them will allow you to ask relevant questions, as well as receiving advice on what you should eat and drink. Do bear in mind, however well meaning a relative or friend is, there advice on this issue may or may not be based on good evidence. Alcohol is of course a problem in liver disease and is often a risk to people with pre-existing liver disease

Q. Can poor nutrition cause liver disease?

A. It is actually more likely that poor nutrition is the result of chronic liver disease, not the cause. On the other hand, good nutrition - a balanced diet with adequate calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates - can actually help the damaged liver to regenerate new liver cells.

Q. What is viral hepatitis?

A. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Viral hepatitis refers to several common contagious diseases caused by viruses that attack the liver. The most important types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, B and C.

Q. What causes hepatitis A?

A. Hepatitis A is caused by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with human excrement. Symptoms similar to the flu and fatigue may occur.

Q. What is hepatitis B?

A. Hepatitis B is more common and much more infectious than AIDS. Hepatitis B may develop into a chronic form in up to 10% of patients. Chronic hepatitis B may lead to scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis, and cancer of the liver.

Q. What is hepatitis C?

A. Hepatitis C may develop into a chronic form in more than 75 to 85% of patients.

Q. Does alcohol cause liver disease?

A. Yes, but it is only one of the many causes, and the risk depends on how much you drink and over how long a period.

Q. How much alcohol can I safely drink?

A. Because some people are much more sensitive to alcohol than others, there is no single right answer for everyone. Generally, doctors recommend that if you drink, don't drink more than 2 drinks per day.

Q. Can "social drinkers" get alcoholic hepatitis?

A. Unfortunately, yes. Alcoholic hepatitis is frequently discovered in alcoholics, but it can also occur in people who are not alcoholics.

Q. Are men or women more likely to get alcoholic hepatitis?

A. Women appear to be more likely to suffer liver damage from alcohol.

Q. Which liver diseases are most commonly treated by transplantation?

A. In adults, cirrhosis, the death of liver cells because of chronic hepatitis, is the most common disease for which liver transplantation is done. In children, the disease most often treated by liver transplantation is biliary atresia (failure of bile ducts to develop normally to drain bile from the liver).

Q. Are there alternative treatments for liver diseases?

A. There are effective medicines for some liver diseases, while for others only treatment for complications is available.

Q. What are the overall chances of surviving a liver transplant?

A. This depends on many factors but overall 60-75% of adult patients and 80-90% of children survive and are successfully discharged from the hospital

Q. Where do donated livers come from?

A. Livers are donated, with the consent of individuals who have brain death, usually as the result of a head injury or brain hemorrhage.

Q. How can I donate my organs?

A. If you wish to be an organ donor, carry an organ donor card and place an organ donor sticker on the medical identification card.