February is Help Fight Liver Disease Month. Liver disease is the fourth leading killer in Canada. The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It regulates blood composition, metabolizes and stores some nutrients, cleans the blood by removes drugs, alcohol, and other harmful chemicals, and treats them so that they can be removed from the body by the digestive system. Common liver disorders include hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver tumours, enlarged liver, liver abscess, and genetic liver problems. The two most common are hepatitis and cirrhosis. Liver disease is most often caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

With liver disease you may experience a loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, weakness, abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding, small red spider-like vessels under the skin or easy bruising, loss of interest in sex, itching, and swollen abdomen and legs. If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms, it is important to consult your doctor or healthcare professional immediately. For more information about the various forms of liver disease, please visit the Healthy Ontario web site or the Canadian Liver Foundation web site.

There are various steps you can take to reduce your risk of liver disease :

• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages, or drink in moderation.
• Make sure that you receive both the Hepatitis A and B vaccination.
• Unless recommended by your physician, avoid iron supplements
• Eating a healthy diet will reduce the risk of a fatty liver.

Remember that everything you swallow that is absorbed by the blood stream passes through the liver. Protect your health and this vital organ by treating your body right!

February 2003

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