The body depends on the liver to perform a number of vital functions and
although there is substantial overlap, they can be
divided into three basic categories:
Functions
The body depends on the liver to perform a number of vital functions and
although there is substantial overlap, they can be
divided
into three basic categories:
Regulation, synthesis, and secretion of many substances important in maintaining
the body's normal state
Storage
of important nutrients such as glycogen (glucose), vitamins, and minerals
purification, transformation, and clearance of waste products, drugs, and
toxins.
Disease or traumatic injury can greatly reduce the liver's ability to carry
out these normal activities. Thus, most of the clinical manifestations
of liver dysfunction stem from celldamage and impairment of the normal
liver capacities. For example,viral hepatitis causes damage and death of
hepatocytes. In this case,
manifestations
may include increased bleeding (due to decreased synthesis of clotting
factors), jaundice (yellow pigmentation due to decreased clearance of bilirubin
), and increased levels of circulating hepatocyte enzymes (released from
dead liver cells).
