Alpha 1 - Antitrypsin
Deficiency - a hereditary disease that may lead to hepatitis and
cirrhosis. It is the most common genetic cause of liver disease in
children. The disease most often appears in the newborn period with
jaundice, swelling of the abdomen, and poor feeding. It may also appear
in late childhood or adulthood and be detected because of the appearance
of fatigue, poor appetitite, swelling of the abdomen and legs or
abnormal liver tests.
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Autoimmune Hepatitis - a
progressive inflammation of the liver associated with an abnormality of
the body's immune system and related to the production of antibodies.
Common symptoms include fatigue, abdominal discomfort, aching joints,
itching, jaundice, enlarged liver, and spider angiomas (tumors) on the
skin.
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Biliary Atresia - a serious disease
of the very young infant. This disease results in inflammation and
obstruction of the ducts which carry bile from the liver into the
intestine. Cirrhosis results when healthy liver cells are destroyed, in
this case by disease, and replaced with scar tissue.
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Chronic Hepatitis - an ongoing
injury to the cells of the liver with inflammation which lasts for
longer than six months. Causes of chronic hepatitis are viruses,
metabolic or immunologic abnormalities and medications. Signs and
symptoms may include fatigue, mild discomfort in the upper abdomen, loss
of appetite and aching joints.
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Cancer of the Liver - The most
common primary malignant tumor of the liver is an hepatocellular
carcinoma. Chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus, particularly those
with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, are at substantially increased risk
of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent research also indicates
that patients who have long- standing chronic hepatitis C virus
infection are also at increased risk for the development of
hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Cirrhosis - a group of chronic liver
diseases in which normal liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar
tissue, decreasing the amount of normal liver tissue.
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Cystic Disease of the Liver - These include choledochal
cysts, Caroli's Syndrome, Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis, and Polycystic
Liver Disease.
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Fatty Liver - an accumulation of fat
cells in the liver, common in patients who are overweight or who have
diabetes.
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Galactosemia - a rare hereditary
disease caused by elevated levels of galactose (a sugar in milk) in the
blood resulting from a deficiency of the liver enzyme required to break
it down. The disease usually appears in the first few days of life
following the ingestion of breast milk or formula. Vomiting, liver
enlargement, and jaundice are often the earliest signs of the disease,
but bacterial infections, irritability, failure to gain weight, and
diarrhea may also occur.
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Gallstones - this condition can cause
severe and intermittent pain in the right upper abdomen, as well as
chronic indigestion and nausea. The removal of the gallbladder due to
the formation of gallstones is the most common surgical procedure
performed in the United States.
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Gilbert's Syndrome - a relatively
common and benign congenital (probably hereditary) liver disorder, found
more frequently in males. It is characterized by a mild, fluctuating
increase in serum bilirubin, a yellow pigment excreted by the liver into
bile.
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Hemochromatosis - a genetic
condition that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron. While
many individuals with this disease have no symptoms, injuries to the
liver can slowly lead to cirrhosis if the illness is not treated.
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Hepatitis A - this inflammation of the
liver is usually caused by eating food or drinking water that has been
contaminated with human excrement. Symptoms similar to the flu and
fatigue may occur; however, the disease is rarely life threatening.
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Hepatitis B - one of the most serious
forms of hepatitis, this disease is more common and much more infectious
than AIDS. Chronic hepatitis B may lead to scarring of the liver, called
cirrhosis, and cancer of the liver. Individuals can protect themselves
from hepatitis B with a safe and effective hepatitis B vaccine. (Click
here for more information on the vaccine.)
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Hepatitis C - this disease affects
approximately 200 million persons worlwide. The most commonly recognized
"risk factors" for acquiring hepatitis C virus include use of
intravenous drugs, history of blood transfusions, hemodialysis and
health care employment. Transmission may also occur through sexual
contact.
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Neonatal Hepatitis -
inflammation of the liver that occurs only in early infancy, usually
between one and two months after birth. Symptoms include jaundice,
failure to grow or gain weight, and an enlarged liver and spleen.
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Porphyria - a disease in which porphyrins,
a chemical compound in the body, do not successfully perform their task
of forming heme (the substance that makes blood red) in human beings.
When they do not function properly, porphyrins build up in the body,
causing a variety of symptoms ranging from abdominal pain and weakness
to blisters on the skin.
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Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
- (PBC) a chronic liver diseases that causes slow, progressive
destruction of bile ducts in the liver. The disease is 10 times more
frequent in women than men, and is usually diagnosed in people 30 to 60
years of age. Many patients have no symptoms and are diagnosed through
the appearance of an abnormality on routine liver blood tests.
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Primary Sclerosing
Cholangitis - (PSC) a disease in which the bile ducts inside and
outside the liver become narrowed due to inflammation and scarring. It
usually begins in the 30's, 40's or 50's and is commonly associated with
fatigue, itching and jaundice.
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Reye's Syndrome - a rare
complication of childhood respiratory infections characterized by
vomiting that begins three to seven days after the onset of flu or
chickenpox. It is believed that aspirin may contribute to the
development of Reye's Syndrome. Other symptoms include listlessness,
staring, and drowsiness.
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Sarcoidosis - a systemic disease of
unknown cause, in which nests of cells appear in many tissues, including
the lung, lymph nodes and liver. Blacks are affected about 15 times more
often than whites in the United States, with the highest incidence in
the southeastern states.
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Tyrosinemia - a genetic inborn error of
metabolism associated with severe liver disease in infancy. Children may
have either the acute form, in which symptoms appear in the first month
of life, or a more chronic form. In both cases, liver transplantation is
required.
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Type I Glycogen Storage
Disease - a deficiency of the enzyme glucose - 6 - phosphatase
which helps in maintaining a normal blood glucose (sugar concentration)
during fasting. Symptoms include growth failure, a greatly enlarged
liver, and a distended abdomen.
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Wilson's Disease - An inherited
disorder of copper secretion by the liver. Copper accumulates in the
liver and nervous system leading to severe liver and neurological
disease. Penicillamine is a successful treatment for patients with early
Wilson's Disease; liver transplantation is indicated for those with very
advanced disease.
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