Alocohol only one cause of liver cirrhosis
YOUR HEALTH
DR. DONOHUE

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please write about the liver. My daughter has cirrhosis. She has never drunk alcohol or done drugs. They can't find out what caused it. Anything you can tell us would be really appreciated. -- M.R.

ANSWER: The liver is the body's largest organ, weighing in at 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). If you hook your fingers under the ribs on the right side and take a deep breath, you can feel the liver descend as you inhale. This big organ has many big jobs. It manufactures and processes carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It stores sugar as glycogen, and it can release it into the blood when blood sugar drops. It makes cholesterol. It produces bile for the digestion of fats. It manufactures proteins that facilitate blood clotting. It cleans the blood.

Liver cirrhosis is a scarred liver, one in which liver cells have died and have been replaced with scar tissue. The liver shrinks and cannot carry out many of its functions. It was once believed that cirrhosis could not be reversed, but if it's caught early and if its cause is eliminated, the liver can regenerate normal liver tissue.

Alcohol is only one cause of cirrhosis, although everyone thinks of alcohol when they hear "cirrhosis." Chronic hepatitis B and C can end in cirrhosis. Autoimmune hepatitis, an attack on the liver by the body's own immune system, often results in cirrhosis. Hemochromatosis is an inherited illness in which too much iron is stored in the liver and other organs. It too can bring on cirrhosis. There are many other causes, and your daughter's doctors are busy trying to find what caused her cirrhosis. The investigation might require removal of a small piece of her liver for microscopic examination -- a liver biopsy.

Even if the search turns up no known cause and even if the liver is on the verge of failing, liver transplantation is an option.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 75, and a recent chest X-ray showed atherosclerotic calcification of the aortic knob. Please shed some light on this. -- V.O.

ANSWER: The aortic knob is the turn the aorta makes when it curves downward from the heart. Just about every 75- year-old's chest X-ray will show atherosclerotic calcification there -- which just means "some artery hardening."

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall. com. 2006 North America Syndicate Inc. All Rights Reserved