Structural diseases of the liver

If an excessive fat storage in the liver tissue occurs, it is colloquially called fatty liver. This restructuring of the liver can also lead to inflammation, which is then referred to as steatohepatitis. The most common cause of fatty liver is excessive alcohol consumption, which is why an alcoholic fatty liver (alcoholic steatohepatitis, ASH) is generally distinguished from a non-alcoholic fatty liver (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH).

Patients usually do not notice the disease until an inflammation of the liver develops. The presence of fatty liver also dramatically increases the risk of developing liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. You can find detailed information under fatty liver.

Cirrhosis of the liver is a nodular remodelling of the liver tissue that severely restricts liver function. The most common cause of liver cirrhosis is alcohol abuse (50%), followed by hepatitis C and B (25%).The disease has far-reaching consequences for the whole body, for example varicose veins develop in the abdominal wall and in the esophagus because the blood flow through the liver is restricted. Over the years, cirrhosis of the liver develops into liver cancer relatively frequently.

There is no cure for the tissue damage of the liver, patients can only be saved with a liver transplant. Detailed information can be found here:

Cirrhosis of the liver
Stages of liver cirrhosis

Liver cancer is also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver cancer often develops over the years from cirrhosis of the liver or fatty liver.

Chronic alcohol abuse and infections with hepatitis B or C are therefore the most important risk factors for the development of the tumor. If the tumor has not yet spread to other parts of the body, patients can be cured by partial removal of the liver or liver transplantation. Furthermore, the liver is the place where metastases of other tumor diseases (e.g. lung/breast cancer) occur most frequently.

Detailed information can be found under liver cancer. Wilson’s disease is a congenital genetic metabolic disorder. Patients have a disorder in the copper metabolism, which is why copper is stored mainly in the liver tissue and brain.

Copper accumulation leads to tissue damage of the liver and patients often develop liver cirrhosis. The deposits in the brain can cause symptoms such as dementia and muscle twitching (tremor). The disease can be controlled relatively well by a lifelong low-copper diet and the intake of copper-binding drugs, but in some cases a liver transplant is necessary.

You can find detailed information under Wilson’s disease. Liver fibrosis is the displacement of healthy liver cells by connective tissue. As a result, the liver loses its function.

All in all, liver fibrosis can be seen as a preliminary stage of liver cirrhosis, because if the nodular remodelling of the liver takes over, this is known as liver cirrhosis. In order to determine the progression of the connective tissue changes, an ultrasound examination or tissue sampling (biopsy) can help. Detailed information can be found under liver fibrosis.