Acute – a short sharp illness that may be severe but from which most people will recover in a few weeks without lasting effects.
ALT – stands for alanine aminotransferase, a liver enzyme that enters the blood following liver damage. An ALT test is used to monitor and assess the degree of damage in patients infected with chronic hepatitis B or C, for example.
AST – stands for aspartate aminotransferase, a liver enzyme but less specific to the liver than ALT. A raised AST level may follow a heart attack, for example.
Autoimmune – a type of disease where the body’s defences mistakenly attack another part
of the body.
Carbohydrate – a substance that provides energy or fuel for your body. ‘Simple’ carbohydrates are sugars, as found in fruit, honey and jam. ‘Complex’ carbohydrates are starches, as found in bread, rice and potatoes.
Cholesterol – a type of fat (lipid) made by the liver from the food you eat. Cholesterol is found in all the cells of your body and is necessary to help them function. However, a high cholesterol level in the blood causes an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Chronic – an illness that lasts a long time (more than six months), possibly for the rest of your life.
Enzyme – a substance, usually a protein, produced by the body to help speed up a chemical reaction.
Free fatty acids – by-products created from the breakdown of fat from fat cells that circulate
in the bloodstream.
Gastroenterologist – a doctor who specialises in diseases of the gullet, stomach, bowel and their associated organs, the pancreas, liver and spleen.
Glycogen – stored in the liver and muscles, glycogen is the way the body stores carbohydrates. It is easily changed back to glucose when the body needs energy quickly.
Hepatic – anything relating to the liver.
Hepatitis – any inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis, whether it is caused by a virus or not. A sudden inflammation of the liver is known as acute hepatitis. Where inflammation of the liver lasts longer than six months the condition is known as chronic hepatitis.
Hepatocyte – a liver cell.
Hepatologist – a doctor who specialises in liver diseases.
Jaundice – a condition in which the whites of the eyes go yellow and in more severe cases the skin also turns yellow. This is caused by a rise of bilirubin (containing yellow pigment), a waste product which is normally disposed of by the liver.
Lipid – a group of organic fats or fat-like substances including triglycerides, cholesterol, fatty
acids, oils and waxes. Insoluble in water, they are stored by your body for energy.
Lipoprotein – A combination of fat and protein made by the liver and transported around the body in the bloodstream.
Metabolism – the physical and chemical processes by which food is transformed into energy. This occurs by absorbing substances and using them in the body or by removing toxins and disposing them from the body as waste product.
Triglyceride – a type of fat belonging to the lipid group. Found in the blood, it is the most common fat in the body and essential for energy. Its name is made up from its construction: three (‘tri’) molecules of fatty acid combined with a glycerol (‘glyceride’) molecule