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What is a Liver? and What will follow when a Liver fails?

Liver is an organ located between abdomen and diaphragm. It is the largest internal and most metabolically complex organ in humans.

Liver performs over 500 different functions including fighting off infection, neutralizing toxins, manufacturing proteins and hormones, controlling blood sugar and helping to clot the blood.

The liver is the only organ that can regenerate itself thus making it possible for one person to donate part of their liver to another person. When a portion of the liver is transplanted, the donor’s liver will regenerate back to its original size while the transplanted portion will grow to the appropriate size for the recipient.

When liver failure occurs, many dire events follow;
one could progress from jaundice to coma within few hours to few weeks of liver injury, many cases in which liver transplant is the only option.

There is currently no way to compensate for the absence of liver function in the long term, although liver dialysis can be used in the short term.

Here is number of conditions that could occur when liver fails:

– Infection-
Our immune system is compromised as liver cells that play important role in fighting infection fail. About 70% of body’s macrophages that fight infection reside in the liver. Infection could cause further complication

– Blood Clotting Problem- Liver cells make blood clotting factors, which are involved in clotting blood in case of injury. When we are short on these factors, even a small injury or minor bleeding could cause prolonged or excessive bleeding, and could be life threatening.

– Metabolic Problems- liver failure means fat-soluble vitamins cannot be absorbed, alcohol cannot be detoxified, and blood glucose level could be uncontrollable. Further complication includse kidney failure due to sodium imbalance and hypo-tension.

Tags: Blood Clotting Problem, Infection, Liver, Metabolic Problems