Hepatology

Medical conditions are scary and the conditions are even more devastating when it is your loved one that is given the diagnosis. Several emotions flood the mind at the exact moment the news is disclosed to the family. Recently, a 48 year old, female that was considered to be a beloved mother, wife, and daughter, was diagnosed with a rare medical condition known as Pulmonary Hypertension which affects the pressures in the heart and lungs. The disease had been misdiagnosed over a year before a very special doctor gave the family hope; this is Helen’s journey with a terminal illness. Beginning the spring of 2015, Helen’s symptoms were present. She thought she had a cold due to the weather change. Helen was experiencing a cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, and tiredness; she felt miserable. Her husband, Paul, recalls telling her to go to the doctor because the symptoms persisted longer than the length of a normal cold; however, Helen believed that she would be fine and continued to treat herself with over-the-counter medication and an inhaler that she had at home. After several months of continuous illness, Helen experienced an episode of not being able to breathe. The ambulance had to be called to her home where she received oxygen immediately. She arrived at the hospital within two hours of the call to 911, but that was not soon enough; Helen had to be placed on a ventilator. The fight for her life was on and her family was beside themselves. Distinctly, Paul recalls…

The Seven Best Smoothie Cleanse Recipes for Your Liver What do you think about the words “detox” and “cleanse”? I know it makes some people roll their eyes. “You don’t need to detox,” they say, “your liver does it for you.” Actually, I always nod emphatically and agree! The purpose of a cleanse is to support the liver, the organ that purifies our body. And sure, a lot of detoxing happens without doing a thing. However, your lifestyle choices can directly impact how well your liver does its…

Cirrhosis: A Scarring Disease of the Liver Cirrhosis is a progressive disease, it gradually develops over numerous years, in anticipation of stopping liver function. Muir’s (2015) stated “Cirrhosis is a form of chronic liver disease (CLD) resulting from sustained liver damage from several causes, including viral infection, autoimmune disorders, cholesteric and metabolic disease (e.g., nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases [NAFLD]), or heavy alcohol use” (p. 1822). The liver is the largest solid…

Alcohol-related liver disease or ARLD is a common health issue in the United States that can lead to further complications or premature death. The contraction of this disease is influenced or caused by genetics, the environment, or even social acceptability of alcohol use. Nutrition plays a vast role in the factors of ARLD because the liver is the focal site for alcohol metabolism. This can cause complications in the metabolism of other essential nutrients in the liver. A lot of alcoholics…

While providing care for Sari a number of clinical management issues arise. Firstly, Sari’s pregnancy was conceived through intrauterine insemination (IUI), risks associated with artificial reproductive technologies were likely reviewed with Sari and Jane prior to intervention . It is important that the midwife be aware of potential risks associated with this method of conception and able to review these with Sari and Jane if they have questions. IUI can include increased risks of preterm birth,…

Alcohol destroys the body The liver is a vital complex organ with many functioning roles that keep the body in constant equilibrium. It holds a great role with digesting, absorbing, and transporting nutrients within the body. Liver disease is a serious matter that is faced in the United States and many other parts of the world. There are various ways that dietary nutrition can harm this much needed organ, but the culprit that will be discussed is alcohol. According to Blake J., Munoz K., & Volpe…

The primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a condition that affects the liver and destroys the bile duct in the liver. Bile is a fluid that plays an important role of digesting foods and help to get rid of the toxins in the body (MayoClinic, 2014). Sodium concentration requires to be tested in order to identify any abnormal concentration of sodium. In the case study, the patient’s sodium level was 121 mmol/L but her TC value was 322 milligrams per deciliter (Farooqi & Hashim. 2015). The normal range…

The liver is located under the diaphragm in the upper right side of your abdominal cavity. It has many important jobs including digestive processes. It also carries out many metabolic and regulatory functions in the body and is also responsible for producing bile to breakdown fats in the food we eat. The gallbladder is similar to a small storage sac, it helps the liver to store bile. The liver and gallbladder connect by the common bile duct. Many disease states can affect these two closely…

Correlation between Mast Cells & Liver Disease Introduction: Our guest speaker was Heather Francis PhD who works at both Baylor Scott and White and adjuncts at Texas A&M University. She is a research scientist who has dedicated her studies into the correlation between mast cells and liver diseases. Dr. Francis, along with her research team, has found a link between some hepatic pathologies: cancer and cirrhosis, and an increase in the number of mast cells. Paracrine Interaction: Dr. Francis…

Cirrhosis is a late stage of progressive hepatic fibrosis which is a consequence of almost all chronic liver diseases; the main causes of liver cirrhosis are chronic viral infections (B, C or B+D), alcoholic etiologies and lately non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (1). Around 50% of patients with cirrhosis have esophageal varices (EV), and one-third of all patients with varices will have variceal hemorrhage, representing an incidence of 5% and 15% in patients with small and large…