The liver is a vital organ located in the upper right abdomen that performs many important functions. It filters toxins from the blood, produces bile to help digest fat, and breaks down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The liver also stores vitamins and minerals and produces proteins and other substances essential for blood clotting and other processes. Common liver problems include hepatitis, fatty liver disease, autoimmune conditions, genetic disorders, cancer, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by avoiding excessive alcohol, practicing safe sex, exercising, and eating well can help keep the liver functioning properly.

1.  Human liver
 Human have five vital organs that are essential for survival, these are
 Brain
 Heart
 Kidneys
 Lungs
 The liver is an abdominal glandular organ in the digestive system
 It is located in the right upper quadrant of abdomen, under the diaphragm
 This liver is also a vital organ that support nearly every other organ to some
capacity
 The liver is the body’s second organ, According to American liver
Foundation weighting about 3 pounds (1.4kilograms); it has four lobes and
is a very soft, pinkish brown organ. It also contains several bile ducts.

2.  The size of the liver increases with age, from an average span of 5 cm at the
age of five years, to 15 cm in adulthood. The size of the normal liver also
varies with sex and body size. The normal liver weighs 1.4 to 1.5 kg in men
and 1.2 to 1.4 kg in women.
 Relative to body size, the liver is larger in the fetus (1/18 of total body
weight) than in the adult (1/36 of total body weight).
 Structure
 The liver consists of four lobes: the larger right lobe and left lobe, and the
smaller caudate lobe and quadrate lobe.
 The left and right lobe are divided by the falciform (“sickle-shaped” in
Latin) ligament, which connects the liver to the abdominal wall.
 The liver’s lobes can be further divided into eight segments, which are made
up of thousands of lobules (small lobes).
 Each of these lobules has a duct flowing toward the common hepatic duct,
which drains bile from the liver.
 Parts
The following are some of the most important individual parts of the liver:
 Common Hepatic Duct: A tube that carries bile out of the liver. It is formed
from the intersection of the right and left hepatic ducts.
 Falciform Ligament: A thin, fibrous ligament that separates the two lobes
of the liver and connects it to the abdominal wall.
 Glisson’s Capsule: A layer of loose connective tissue that surrounds the
liver and its related arteries and ducts.
 Hepatic Artery: The main blood vessel that supplies the liver with
oxygenated blood.
 Hepatic Portal Vein: The blood vessel that carries blood from the
gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen to the liver.
 Lobes: The anatomical sections of the liver.
 Lobules: Microscopic building blocks of the liver.
 Peritoneum: A membrane covering the liver that forms the exterior.

3.  Maintaining a Healthy Liver
The best way to avoid liver disease is to take active steps toward a healthy life. The
following are some recommendations that will help keep the liver functioning as it
should:
 Avoid Illicit Drugs: Illicit drugs are toxins that the liver must filter out.
Taking these drugs can cause long-term damage.
 Drink Alcohol Moderately: Alcohol must be broken down by the liver.
While the liver can moderate amounts, excessive alcohol use can cause
damage.
 Exercise Regularly: A regular exercise routine will help promote general
health for every organ, including the liver.
 Eat Healthy Foods: Eating excessive fats can make it difficult for the liver to
function and lead to fatty liver disease.
 Practice Safe Sex: Use protection to avoid sexually transmitted diseases
such as hepatitis C
 Vaccinate: Especially when traveling, get appropriate vaccinations against
hepatitis A and B, as well as diseases such as malaria and yellow fever,
which grow in the liver.
Liver problems
Many conditions can affect your liver. Here’s a look at some of the main ones.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is defined as an inflammation of the liver. When that inflammation is
caused by a virus, it’s referred to as viral hepatitis. Hepatitis can cause liver
damage, making it difficult for your liver to function as it should.
Most types of viral hepatitis are contagious, but you can reduce your risk by
getting vaccinated for types A and B and by taking other preventive steps,
including using a condom during sex and not sharing needles.
Five types of hepatitis include:

4.  Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A is typically spread through contact with
contaminated food or water. Symptoms may clear up without treatment,
but recovery can take a few weeks.
 Hepatitis B. This type of viral hepatitis can be acute (short-term) or chronic
(long-term). It’s spread through bodily fluids, such as blood and semen.
While hepatitis B is treatable, there’s no cure for it. Early treatment is key
to avoiding complications, so it’s best to get regular screenings if you’re at
risk.
 Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C can also be acute or chronic. It’s often spread
through contact with blood from someone with hepatitis C. While it often
doesn’t cause symptoms in its early stages, it can lead to permanent liver
damage in its later stages.
 Hepatitis D. This is a serious form of hepatitis that only develops in people
with hepatitis B — it can’t be contracted on its own. It can also be either
acute or chronic.
 Hepatitis E. Hepatitis E is usually caused by drinking contaminated water.
Generally, it clears up on its own within a few weeks without any lasting
complications.
 Fatty liver disease
Fat buildup in the liver can lead to fatty liver disease

5. There are two types of fatty liver disease. These two types can manifest alone, or
they can overlap:
 alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is caused by heavy alcohol consumption
 nonalcoholic fatty liver disease which is caused by other factors experts are
still trying to understand
 Without management, both types of fatty liver disease can cause liver
damage, leading to cirrhosis and liver failure.
 Diet and other lifestyle changes can often improve symptoms and lower
your risk of complications.
 Autoimmune conditions
Autoimmune conditions involve your immune system mistakenly attacking
healthy cells in your body.
Several autoimmune conditions involve your immune system attacking cells in
your liver, including:
 Autoimmune hepatitis. This condition causes your immune system to
attack your liver, resulting in inflammation. Without treatment, it can lead
to cirrhosis and liver failure.
 Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). This results from damage to the bile ducts in
your liver, causing a buildup of bile. PBC can eventually lead to cirrhosis and
liver failure.
 Primary sclerosing cholangitis. This inflammatory condition causes gradual
damage to your bile ducts. They eventually become blocked, causing bile to
build up in your liver. This can lead to cirrhosis or liver failure.
 Genetic conditions
Several genetic conditions, which you inherit from one of your parents, can also
affect your liver:
 Hemochromatosis causes your body to store more iron than it needs. This
iron remains in your organs, including your liver. This can lead to damage
over a long period of time if not managed.

6.  Wilson’s disease causes your liver to absorb copper instead of releasing it
into your bile ducts. Eventually, your liver may become too damaged to
store more copper, allowing it to travel through your bloodstream and
damage other parts of your body, including your brain.
 Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency occurs when your liver can’t make enough
alpha-1 antitrypsin, a protein that helps prevent enzyme breakdowns
throughout your body. This condition can cause lung disease as well as liver
disease. There’s no cure, but treatment can help.
 Cancer
Liver cancer first develops in your liver. If cancer starts elsewhere in the body but
spreads to the liver, it’s called secondary liver cancer.
 The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma. It tends
to develop as several small spots of cancer in your liver, though it can also
start as a single tumor.
 Complications of other liver diseases, especially those that aren’t treated,
may contribute to the development of liver cancer.
 Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis refers to scarring that result from liver diseases and other causes of liver
damage, such as alcohol use disorder. Cystic fibrosis and syphilis may also lead to
liver damage and, eventually, cirrhosis — although these two causes are much less
common.
 Your liver can regenerate in response to damage, but this process usually
results in the development of scar tissue. The more scar tissue that develops,
the harder it is for your liver to function properly.
 In its early stages, cirrhosis is often treatable by addressing the underlying
cause. But without management, it can lead to other complications and
become life threatening.
 Liver failure
Chronic liver failure typically happens when a significant part of your liver is
damaged and can’t function properly. Generally, liver failure related to liver

7. disease and cirrhosis happens slowly. You may not have any symptoms at first. But
over time, you might start to notice:
 jaundice
 diarrhea
 confusion
 fatigue and weakness
 nausea
It’s a serious condition that requires ongoing management.
Acute liver failure, on the other hand, happens suddenly, often in response to an overdose or
poisoning.
 Function of liver
1. Detoxification, metabolism in body mechanisms
2. Including regulation of glycogen storage
3. Also helps in hormone regulation
4. Helps in protein metabolism, digestion and decomposition of red blood
cells, to name a few.

8. 5. Liver produce bile, a chemical substances that’s break down fats & make
them more easily digestible
6. Liver also produced and synthesizes multiple elements of plasma and
store some vital nutrients including vitamins (especially A, D, E, and K&B)
and iron.
7. It also store simple sugar glucose and convert into usable glucose if your
blood sugar level falls
8. Liver also detoxified the toxic substances from blood, such as alcohol
and drugs
9. It also breaks down hemoglobin insulin and excessive hormones to keep
hormones level in balance.
10. It metabolize, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins into useful
substances such as glucose, cholesterol, phospholipids, and lipoprotein
that are used in various cells throughout the body
11.Liver break down the unstable part of proteins & convert them into
ammonia and eventually urea.