Abnormal liver function

　　There are many causes of liver dysfunction, which can be summarized into the following categories:

　　1. Infection by parasites (such as schistosomiasis, Clonorchis sinensis, amebas), spirochetes, bacteria, and viruses can cause liver damage; among them, viruses are the most common (such as viral hepatitis).

　　2. Chemical poisoning such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, phosphorus, antimony, arsenic, etc., often destroys the enzyme system of liver cells, causing metabolic disorders, or inhibits the process of oxidative phosphorylation, reducing ATP production, leading to liver cell变性 and necrosis; some drugs, such as chlorpromazine, para-aminosalicylic acid, isoniazid, certain iodine drugs, and antibiotics (such as tetracycline), can even cause liver damage in a few people at therapeutic doses, which may be related to allergy.

　　3. Abnormal immune function in liver disease can cause abnormal immune reactions, which are one of the important causes of liver damage. For example, both humoral immunity and cellular immunity induced by hepatitis B virus can damage liver cells; the surface antigen (HBsAg), core antigen (HBcAg), e antigen (HBeAg) of hepatitis B virus can bind to the surface of liver cells, change the antigenicity of the liver cell membrane, and cause autoimmune reactions. For example, primary biliary cirrhosis, in which patients have a variety of antibodies (anti-bile duct antibody, anti-mitochondrial antibody, anti-smooth muscle antibody, anti-nuclear antibody, etc.) in their blood, may also be an autoimmune disease.

　　4. Insufficient nutrition, lack of choline and methionine, can cause liver fatty change. This is because the transport of fat within the liver must first be converted into phospholipids (mainly lecithin), and choline is an essential component of lecithin. Methionine provides the methyl group for the synthesis of choline. When these substances are lacking, the removal of fat from the liver is hindered, causing fatty change in the liver.

　　Clinically, there are many complications of abnormal liver function, the most common of which are various viral hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The specific analysis is as follows:

　　1. Abnormal liver function can trigger various viral hepatitis (such as hepatitis A, B, and C), fatty liver, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other complications, which are the most common complications of abnormal liver function.

　　2. Abnormal liver function can lead to circulatory disorders, such as liver congestion and hypoxia during chronic heart failure.

　　3. Abnormal liver function can lead to bile duct obstruction, such as gallstones, tumors, and ascaris, which can cause bile stasis. If left for too long, the damage to liver cells caused by the accumulated bile and the pressure on the blood sinus by the dilated bile ducts within the liver can lead to liver ischemia, causing liver cell necrosis.

　　4. Abnormal liver function can lead to hereditary diseases. Some hereditary diseases such as hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson's disease, and others are the most common and important congenital liver diseases. They are all potential causes of abnormal liver function.

　　When liver function is abnormal, many clinical symptoms often appear, some of which are relatively obvious, while others are relatively obscure. The symptoms of abnormal liver function are manifested in many aspects of the body in clinical practice:

　　1. Abnormal digestion can cause symptoms such as decreased appetite, aversion to greasy food, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation;

　　2. Liver cell damage can cause an increase in serum transaminases and other enzymes, while cholinesterase decreases, which can cause fatigue, drowsiness, and other symptoms;

　　3. Abnormal bilirubin metabolism can cause jaundice, the main symptoms are yellowing of the skin, sclera, and other tissues. When jaundice deepens, urine, sputum, tears, and sweat are also yellowed, while saliva generally does not change color.

　　4. Disordered glucose metabolism can cause changes in blood lipid content, a decrease in cholesterol synthesis and esterification ability. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the intake of sugar and other high-calorie foods according to the situation in cases of liver function damage, in order to prevent excessive nutrition and promote an increase in body lipids, which is prone to hyperlipidemia or fatty liver, and worsen the condition.

　　5. Abnormal fat metabolism can lead to fatty liver. The liver is an important organ for fat metabolism, free fatty acid oxidation and utilization, and is also the main site for the synthesis, secretion, degradation, and transport of lipoproteins and most lipoproteins. Liver disease can cause a decrease in plasma total fatty acid concentration and a deficiency of polyunsaturated fatty acids, an increase in plasma free fatty acids and triglycerides, and excessive triglycerides are stored in the form of fat droplets, leading to fatty liver. It can cause liver area pain or percussion pain, etc.;

　　6. Abnormal synthesis of albumin, low albumin, decreased colloid concentration in blood, water in the blood passing through blood vessels into tissues, which can lead to ascites, pleural effusion, and other symptoms in severe cases;

　　7. Abnormal metabolism of vitamins, the deficiency of various vitamins can lead to rough skin, night blindness, inflammation of the lips and tongue, edema, skin hemorrhage, osteoporosis, and other symptoms;

　　1. Maintain a peaceful mindset. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that anger injures the liver. For patients with liver damage and abnormal liver function, it is necessary to keep a cheerful and calm mind, control anger and not get angry, otherwise it will lead to liver qi stagnation, liver fire rising, and worsen liver disease.

　　2. Ensure adequate rest. Patients with abnormal liver function should not engage in overly intense and heavy exercise and labor, otherwise it will increase the burden on the liver and be detrimental to the condition.

　　3. Do not take medicine randomly. Because many drugs need to be metabolized by the liver, and many drugs are harmful to the liver, which can cause drug-induced liver injury and worsen liver damage.

　　4. Regular check-ups. It is necessary to re-examine liver function every half month or month to timely grasp the changes in the condition and provide a basis for the doctor's treatment.

　　1. ALT: It is a major item for diagnosing liver cell parenchymal damage, and its levels often parallel the severity of the disease. ALT can increase in acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, and active liver cirrhosis. However, ALT lacks specificity, and many liver diseases and extrahepatic diseases can cause an increase. In addition, there is no consistency between the changes in ALT activity and the pathological changes of the liver tissue, and some patients with severe liver damage may not have an increased ALT level.

　　2. AST: AST is widely distributed in various tissues and organs in the body, with the highest content in the myocardium, followed by the liver and kidney. It is composed of isoenzymes ASTs and ASTm, with the former located in the cytoplasm and the latter in the mitochondria of the cells. The significance of AST elevation in diagnosing hepatitis is similar to that of ALT, and in general, its increase is not as significant as ALT. If the AST value is higher than the ALT, it indicates that the degree of liver cell damage and necrosis is relatively serious. If the isoenzymes are measured, the significance is even greater, with only AST elevated in mild liver damage, while ASTm is significantly elevated in severe damage.

　　3. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): Composed of three or more isoenzymes, namely liver type, intestinal type (extremely low in content), and placental type (only seen in late pregnant women), and some also come from the skeleton. ALP is excreted through the bile duct. Therefore, liver diseases with excretion dysfunction, bile duct diseases, and skeletal diseases can all cause an increase in ALP. Normal reference values (30-90)

　　4. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT): The level of GGT in healthy people is very low (〈40 units), mainly derived from the liver, with a small amount coming from the kidney, pancreas, and small intestine. (GGT) is not as good as ALT in reflecting liver cell necrosis and damage, but it has certain significance in distinguishing jaundice. Liver obstruction (intrahepatic obstruction) and extrahepatic obstruction, as well as liver cirrhosis, liver tumor toxic liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, and other conditions can all cause an increase in GGT.

　　5. Serum total bilirubin (TB) and direct bilirubin (Bc): Jaundice can occur in liver disease, with TB and Bc increasing to varying degrees. If Bc is significantly elevated, it indicates obstructive jaundice.

　　6. Total protein (TP), albumin (A), globulin (G): During chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis, a decrease in albumin and an increase in globulin often occur, leading to an inverted A/G ratio.

　　It is better to eat more fiber-rich foods.

　　Whole grains and bread, etc., which are very rich in fiber, can effectively reduce the content of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the human body. Nutrition experts point out that in order to achieve the effect of influencing cholesterol levels, the dietary fiber must reach 15 to 30 grams. Patients with high total cholesterol should eat more vegetables, fruits, and algal foods such as konjac, mushrooms, kelp, wakame, onions, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, etc., as these foods are rich in dietary fiber that helps with the excretion of cholesterol.

　　It is better to eat more fish.

　　A study on the impact of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish such as tuna, mackerel, salmon, and sardines) on high cholesterol levels shows that eating fish as often as once a week or even once a day can effectively reduce the intake of saturated fats. Fish oil and lecithin have the effect of lowering blood lipids, although their main effect is on elevated triglycerides, with a smaller effect on lowering cholesterol (of course, it is still useful).

　　3. Eat more soybean products.

　　Tofu and expanded plant protein and other soybean products contain a natural plant chemical substance called isoflavones. Research shows that this chemical substance helps to remove harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the human body.

　　4. Adequate intake of vitamin C is required.

　　Research conducted at Tufts University in Massachusetts shows that the content of vitamin C in the blood is proportional to the content of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the human body. Experts suggest that eating 3 to 4 servings of vitamin C-rich foods such as citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, papayas, and dark green leafy vegetables every day can increase the content of vitamin C in the human blood, thereby increasing the amount of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the body, ensuring the smooth flow of blood vessels. Although components such as vitamin C and vitamin E with antioxidant effects cannot directly reduce cholesterol in the blood, they can help reduce the harm of cholesterol to blood vessels.

　　The following are some treatment methods for abnormal liver function:

　　(1) Antiviral drugs

　　Commonly used ones include interferon and lamivudine. Lamivudine has been listed as a medicine for medical insurance and is widely used, can inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus, promote the seroconversion of e antigen, and can also improve clinical symptoms, and is currently a drug with good efficacy and the most representative drug in clinical application.

　　(2) Immunomodulators:

　　Coenzyme Q10 plays the role of a hydrogen carrier in the respiratory chain of human metabolism, has a stimulating effect on a series of enzymes, and has an important impact on aerobic metabolism. Coenzyme Q10 can regulate the immune function of the body, improve liver function and the clinical symptoms of hepatitis, and reduce complications.

　　Levo-methylisothiazolinone is a non-specific immunomodulator that can enhance the cellular immune function of patients with hepatitis B, has a certain effect on the serum conversion of hepatitis B virus, can prevent the occurrence of liver cell carcinoma in patients with hepatitis B, and can improve the efficacy of restoring liver function and clearing hepatitis B virus when used in combination with liver-protecting drugs and other antiviral drugs. The efficacy of the topical preparation of levo-methylisothiazolinone is superior to that of the oral preparation, and it has no significant toxic side effects.

　　(3) Medications that promote liver cell repair and regeneration: Hepatide (Promoter of Hepatocyte Growth).