Clinical Nutrition

Lesson 17: Diseases of the liver

Three pathological changes may follow damage to the liver namely:

1. Fatty infiltration: It is the deposition of droplets of fat in the cells. This process is completely reversible, but if the damage is severe or long lasting it may be followed by necrosis or fibrosis.
2. Necrosis or death of the cells may be slight and only involve part of the lobule, e.g. ishchaemia due to heart failure causes central necrosis around the hepatic vein, or it may be massive and cause widespread destruction of the organs.
3. Cirrhosis: Fibrosis, the end result of any liver damage which leads to necrosis and also occurs in the absence of obvious necrosis gives rise to the condition cirrhosis.