Liver disease facts for kids

The liver is a super important organ in your body, located on the right side of your tummy. It's like a busy factory that does many jobs to keep you healthy. When the liver isn't working properly, it's called liver disease. This means something is affecting the liver and stopping it from doing its important jobs.

What Does Your Liver Do?

Your liver is one of the largest organs inside your body. It's found under your ribs on the right side. Your liver has many vital jobs, like:

• Cleaning your blood by removing harmful substances.
• Making a special liquid called bile, which helps you digest food.
• Storing energy from the food you eat.
• Making proteins that your body needs to grow and stay healthy.
• Helping your body fight off infections.

Common Types of Liver Disease

There are many different kinds of liver disease. Some of the more common ones include:

Wilson's Disease

Wilsons disease is a rare genetic disease. This means it's passed down through families. In Wilson's disease, your body can't get rid of extra copper. This copper then builds up in your liver and other parts of your body, like your brain. Too much copper can damage these organs.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis means "inflammation of the liver." This is when your liver gets swollen and damaged. Hepatitis is often caused by viruses. There are different types of hepatitis viruses, like:

• Hepatitis A: This type usually spreads through contaminated food or water. It often gets better on its own.
• Hepatitis B and C: These types can cause long-term liver problems. They can lead to a serious condition called Cirrhosis.

What is Cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis is when your liver becomes scarred and damaged over a long time. This scarring makes it hard for your liver to do its jobs. It can be caused by long-term hepatitis or other liver diseases.

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis (often called PBC) is a rare disease. It happens when the small tubes in your liver, called bile ducts, get damaged. Bile ducts carry bile, a liquid that helps digest food. When these ducts are damaged, bile builds up in the liver and causes harm.

Liver Cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in the liver. Cancer happens when cells in your body grow out of control. Liver cancer can sometimes develop after many years of other liver diseases, like cirrhosis.

Signs of Liver Problems

Sometimes, people with liver disease might not feel sick at first. But as the liver gets more damaged, signs can appear. These might include:

• Feeling very tired all the time.
• Having yellow skin or eyes (this is called jaundice).
• Having dark pee or pale poop.
• Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up.
• Having pain in your tummy.
• Swelling in your legs or ankles.

How Doctors Help

If a doctor thinks someone might have liver disease, they will do some tests. These can include:

• Blood tests: To check how well the liver is working.
• Imaging tests: Like an ultrasound or MRI, to look at the liver.
• Biopsy: Sometimes, a tiny piece of the liver is taken out to look at under a microscope.

Treatment for liver disease depends on what kind it is. Doctors might give medicines, or sometimes, a special diet is needed. In very serious cases, a liver transplant might be an option. This is when a sick liver is replaced with a healthy one from a donor.

Keeping Your Liver Healthy

You can help keep your liver healthy by:

• Eating healthy foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Drinking plenty of water.
• Being active and exercising regularly.
• Washing your hands often to avoid infections.
• Getting vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, if your doctor recommends it.

Images for kids

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  Ursodeoxycholic acid is a medicine sometimes used for liver diseases.

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  This is what liver cells can look like under a microscope when they are affected by certain diseases.

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  A microscopic view of liver tissue affected by primary biliary cirrhosis.

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  Budd-chiari syndrome is a rare condition where blood flow out of the liver is blocked.

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  This image shows a liver with cirrhosis, which looks bumpy and scarred.

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  This liver has a "nutmeg" pattern, which can happen when the liver has too much blood in it.

See also

In Spanish: Hepatopatía para niños