What Affects The Ability Of The Liver To Regenerate? Shares Dr Abhinav

Is there any certain age when the liver starts losing its ability to function correctly?

The liver is a unique organ. While most organs, such as the heart, lung, and skin, the damaged tissue is replaced with a scar. The liver is impressive because it can replace damaged tissue with new cells. The human liver can regrow with almost no loss of function and survive after sustaining colossal damage. If up to 50 to 60 per cent of liver cells are damaged in a case like a Paracetamol overdose, the liver will repair entirely after 30 days if no complications arise. Dr Abhinav Kumar, Associate Consultant, Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Sciences, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute shares that in the case of liver donors, who undergo resection of more than 50% of their healthy liver as part of liver donation for transplantation, they regain their average liver volume in a few weeks.

Complications Of Liver Disease

Liver disease complications occur when regeneration is prevented because of the progressive development of scar tissue within the liver. This happens due to continuous ongoing insult caused by a damaging agent such as a virus (chronic infection of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C virus), long-term consumption of a hepatotoxic drug, ongoing alcohol abuse, and due to accumulation of fat in the liver in conditions such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, leading to prevention of complete regeneration of liver tissue. Once scar tissue has developed, it isn't easy to reverse that process.

What Is Cirrhosis?

Severe scarring of the liver is a condition known as cirrhosis. The development of cirrhosis indicates late-stage liver disease and is usually followed by the onset of complications such as the development of gastrointestinal bleeding, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, and altered sensorium/coma.

Liver Diseases In The Elderly

As the elderly population has been on the rise due to an extended lifespan, the number of elderly patients with complicated liver disease has grown significantly over the last few decades. It is also known that advanced age harms liver regeneration. Ageing appears to adversely affect liver regeneration by influencing several pathways, leading to a reduction in the regeneration rate. Also, data suggests that with ageing, blood flow to the liver reduces, leading to a decrease in liver volume as we age.

Liver Volume Reduction

According to ultrasound studies, the liver volume decreases by 20 40% as one age. It has also been shown that in humans aged 65 years or higher, there is approximately a 35% decrease in the blood volume of the liver compared with those aged less than 40 years. Thus, ageing significantly impacts the risk and poor prognosis of various liver diseases, including NAFLD, alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis C, and liver transplantation.