Definition of Liver disease

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large organ in the upper right abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products from the blood.

Liver disease includes the following conditions:

• Cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver
• Inflammation (hepatitis) from infectious (hepatitis B, hepatitis C) or non-infectious causes (chemical or autoimmune hepatitis)
• Tumors, benign and malignant (liver cancer)
• Metabolic disorders

Alcohol abuse is one leading cause of liver disease. Infections, poisons, and inherited (genetic) conditions can also cause diseases of the liver. In most patients with liver disease, multiple different functions of the liver are impaired.