LIVER

• Liver is the largest gland in the human body and one of the most complexes of all human organs.

• The liver is a reddish – brown mass weighing about 1.5 kilograms. 

• It lies in the upper right part of the abdomen, directly under the diaphragm and above the stomach and intestines.

• The liver performs many essential functions. One of its most important tasks is to help the body digest food. The liver produces and discharges bile a greenish-yellow digestive fluid.

• The liver probably performs more separate tasks than any other organ in the body. Its chief functions are to help the body digest and use food and to help purify the blood of wastes and poisons. 

• The liver removes the excess glucose from the blood and stores it in the form of a starch like compound called glycogen.

• The liver also plays an essential role in the storage of certain vitamins. The liver stores Vitamin A , as well as Vitamin D, E, and K. It also stores iron and other minerals.

• Cells in the liver and other organs break down hemoglobin into several substances, including iron and a reddish-yellow pigment called bilirubin.

•  The liver manufactures various blood proteins, including albumin, globulins, and fibrinogen. Albumin helps to prevent plasma (the liquid portion of the blood) from seeping through the walls of the blood vessels. Globulins help the body fight   infections. Fibrinogen enables the blood to seal broken blood vessels by forming a clot.

• Cirrhosis occurs when scar tissue replaces healthy liver cells. Alcoholism is the most common cause of cirrhosis. Hepatitis can also cause cirrhosis.