Liver: what is it, characteristics, diseases, treatments, symptoms and functions

O liver it is part of one of the digestive systems of the human body, such as the pancreas and the gallbladder, it is the largest gland in the human body, also considered the second largest organ, second only to the skin.

Liver Characteristics

The liver, an extremely important organ for the digestive functioning of our body, is located in the upper region of the cavity. abdominal, that is, below the diaphragm, is considered the largest organ of the human body, losing to the skin, weighing up to 1.5 kg in adult people, in the characteristic factor of the organ, presents a reddish color, and functioning factors of great importance for our body.

The liver stores very important energy sources such as iron, vitamins, plasma proteins, it acts mainly in metabolism.

The liver is divided into two lobes, the right side is larger than the left side, its main function in the human body is to release exocrine substances, that is, they release secretions from the bile on an external surface, this substance has in its composition bile acids, cholesterol, inorganic salts, bilirubin, these secretions are stored in the gallbladder biliary, the substance of bile is produced by hepatocytes, which are liver cells, the liver has 2 large main lobes, as mentioned, in each lobe there is a duct that directs the bile towards the duodenum, right hepatic duct and left hepatic duct, after leaving each lobe, the 2 hepatic ducts join into a single duct called of common hepatic duct, joining the cystic duct that is coming from the gallbladder, the two together form the common bile duct, joining the pancreatic duct, forming the ampoule hepatopancreatic.

In the scope of the Hepatopancreatic ampoule, it is the place where the mixture of bile is located, together with the pancreatic juice, all these substances are liquid, this liquid is poured into the duodenum.

Bile has a yellow, greenish liquid, composed of water, bile salts and bile pigments and some ions, bile is produced by the liver and can be Stored in the gallbladder, the bile salts present in bile are important in the transformation of fat molecules into smaller parts, facilitating the action of the pancreatic juice, bile has pigments, of these pigments the main one is bilirubin, an orange substance, it is concentrated in the blood plasma, eliminated by urine.

 Bile has as its main function:

•  Digest fats made by the body, introduce nutrients that pass through the intestine,
• Eliminates toxin substances, these substances in most cases are found in drugs and bilirubin, eliminated by human urine
• The liver produces an average of 500 to 1000 ml of bile 
•  There is also the endocrine gland, its function is to secrete substances thrown into the blood, the thyroid is an example of this gland.

LIVER DISEASES

The most related and spoken disease of the liver is cirrhosis, there are more than 150,000 cases per year in Brazil, it is a chronic liver injury, causing serious damage to the liver. liver, these lesions heal over time, but healing does not guarantee that the disease has disappeared, as the liver loses its function in the digestive environment, causes such as hepatitis, obesity and alcoholism, such as a large excess of alcoholic beverages, are the main factors for the onset of the disease, even being of great frequency. The target audience of the disease are usually men with an average age of 45 years, but it can also affect women, this disease creates nodule formation, this nodule formation creates blockage of passage blood.

The bile is totally compromised, the liver can no longer produce it satisfactorily, because with the attacks on the liver due to the disease cause it to create a kind of scarring, taking the place of cells healthy.

The heavy consumption of alcohol is the main cause of cirrhosis, as the liver is the center of metabolization of resulting substances by the body, alcohol in excessive use causes serious damage to vital tissues, the liver, with these aggressions over time, loses its functions

• Hepatical cirrhosis: Liver cirrhosis is a major risk factor, as it can have a silent process in the liver, the liver, even suffering aggression, does not show any sign that something is wrong, thus delaying the medical diagnosis, it can also be caused by the excessive use of medications, it is necessary to be aware of other risk factors of liver such as: chronic hepatitis, styling, presence of excessive fat in the organ (hepatic steatosis), Wilson's disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, hepatitis autoimmune.

SYMPTOMS:
The symptoms are quite indicative over time, the person with the disease may have yellowish skin, excessive hair loss, cough and vomiting may or may not contain blood, intense bad breath, swelling in the abdomen, weight loss for no apparent reason, great weakness by the body, dark urine, but as mentioned earlier, the disease can progress for a long time without showing signs of symptoms, disease silent

TREATMENT

Unfortunately, cirrhosis is a disease that can be fatal, that is, it is irreversible and may even have a chance of being cured through a liver transplant. It is extremely important to consume alcohol properly, and especially to pay attention to the treating chronic hepatitis B and C, which can lead to cirrhosis, and getting vaccinated against the Hepatitis B.

See too:

• Locomotor System
• bone tissue
• Lymphatic system

MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE LIVER:

• Undoubtedly it is the production of bile, the same helps in the digestion of fatty foods, that is, it works as a detergent, acts as a dissolution and uses the fat for the body at the same time.
• Stores glucose and releases it, being a great source of energy for our body
• It produces the protein called albumin, this protein helps to keep water inside the liver, in addition to vitamins A, B12, D, E, and some very important minerals, iron and copper
• It is an organ that has a great capacity for regeneration, that is, a person who donates a part of the liver, this liver is regenerated over time and also works as a filtration for microorganisms
• It has the ability to detoxify the body, eliminating toxic waste that is not usable for it

Below is the image of the anatomy of the liver: