Jaundice
... What is jaundice? Jaundice is not an illness, but a medical condition in which too much bilirubin – a compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells – is circulating in the bloo...

Vitamins and Minerals in the Prevention and Management of Gastrointestinal Diseases
... What are vitamins and minerals? Vitamins and minerals are nutrients required in very small amounts for essential body processes. These nutrients act with proteins, known as enzymes, to regulate metabo...

Cirrhosis of the Liver
... The liver weighs about three pounds and is the largest solid organ in the body. It performs many important functions, including: Manufacturing blood proteins that aid in clotting, oxygen transport, an...

Digestive Diseases Dictionary
... This dictionary defines words that are often used when talking or writing about digestive diseases. It is designed for people who have digestive diseases and their families and friends. The words are ...

Liver Transplantation
... Liver transplantation is surgery to remove a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver from an organ donor. A liver transplant is necessary when disease makes the liver stop working. The most...

Liver Biopsy
... The digestive system In a liver biopsy (BYE-op-see), the physician examines a small piece of tissue from your liver for signs of damage or disease. A special needle is used to remove the tissue from t...

Chronic Hepatitis C: Current Disease Management
... The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. It accounts for about 15 percent of acute viral hepatitis, 60 to 70 percent of chronic he...

Facts and Fallacies About Digestive Diseases
... The digestive system Researchers have only recently begun to understand the many, often complex diseases that affect the digestive system. Accordingly, people are gradually replacing folklore, old wiv...

Cirrhosis of the Liver
... The liver, the largest organ in the body, is essential in keeping the body functioning properly. It removes or neutralizes poisons from the blood, produces immune agents to control infection, and remo...

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
... Primary biliary cirrhosis is a liver disease that slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver. Bile, a substance that helps digest fat, leaves the liver through these ducts. When the ducts are damaged...