Useful words
Acute – a short sharp illness that may be severe but from which most people will recover in a few weeks without lasting effects.
Anaemia – a condition where there are not enough red blood cells taking oxygen around the body, causing symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath.
Autoimmune disease – a type of disease where the body’s defences attack another part of the body.
Bile – a yellow-green fluid produced by your liver to aid digestion. It contains chemicals as well as waste products and plays a central role in helping the body digest fat.
Chronic – an illness that lasts a long time (more than six months), possibly for the rest of a person’s life.
Cirrhosis – where inflammation and fibrosis have spread to disrupt the shape and function of the liver. Even with no signs or symptoms of liver disease, the working capacity of liver cells has been badly impaired and they are unable to repair the liver. This is permanent cell damage and can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.
Creatinine – a waste product from protein in the diet and from the muscles of the body. Creatinine is removed from the body by the kidneys. Measuring the creatinine level in the blood gives an indication of how well, or poorly, the kidneys are working.
DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid, the chemical compound of which chromosomes are made and which contains the genetic instructions for the making of proteins in your body.
Fibrosis – where scar tissue is formed in an inflamed liver. Fibrosis can take a variable time to develop and, even with scar tissue present, the liver keeps on functioning quite well. However, continued building up of scar tissue may lead to cirrhosis.
Glomerular filtration rate (Gfr) – a test of kidney function that measures the effectiveness of the glomerulus, a small, entwined group of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the kidneys, to filter urine from your blood. A reduction in the GFR increases the risk of renal failure.
HBIG – hepatitis B immunoglobulin, a product made from plasma which contains antibodies to hepatits B virus. HBIg offers rapid but temporary protection against infection.
Hyperlipidemia – having excessively high levels of fats (triglyceride and cholesterol) in the bloodstream.
Inflammation – the body’s protective reaction to injury, involving swelling, pain, redness and heat.
Intravenous – injection of a fluid into a vein via syringe or catheter (a long narrow tube inserted into a vein to allow intravenous injection).
Liver function tests (LFTs) – a panel of tests used to indicate whether your liver is inflamed (hepatitis), damaged or not working properly. They measure levels of certain enzyme and protein substances in your blood that may alter when liver damage is present.
Lymphocyte – a small white blood cell (leukocyte) that plays a large role in defending the body against disease.
Lymphoproliferative – refers to disorders in which lymphocytes are over-produced or act abnormally.
Malignant – a tendency to become progressively worse. In tumours, this describes a disease that will spread and destroy healthy tissue.
NASH – non-alcoholic steatohepatitis is a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease where an inflammatory response accompanies the fat. This may cause scarring to the liver and can progress to cirrhosis
Portal hypertension – increased blood pressure in the portal vein, which carries blood from the bowel and the spleen to the liver. Portal hypertension is characterised by impaired or reversed blood flow, an enlarged spleen, and protruding (dilated) veins in the oesophagus and stomach.
Prophylaxis – treatment to prevent the onset of a particular disease or the recurrence of symptoms in an existing infection.