Liver disease
Liver injury can result from many sources, if untreated this leads to late-stage liver disease, or cirrhosis.
What are the different types of liver disease?
The different causes of liver disease are:
- Viral infections: Some viruses target the liver causing diseases such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
- Problems with your immune system: The immune system can mistakenly attack the liver and can cause autoimmune liver diseases.
- Inherited diseases: Some liver problems develop because of an inherited genetic condition.
- Cancer: Liver tumours may develop as the disease progresses. These tumours can be noncancerous or cancerous.
- Consuming too many toxins: Alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused by alcohol affecting the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) results from the liver being affected by fat in our diet.
What are the symptoms?
Some liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, rarely cause symptoms. For other conditions, the most common symptom is jaundice – a yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes.
Other signs of liver disease may include:
- Abdominal pain, especially on the right side of the belly
- Bruising easily
- Changes in the colour of urine or stool
- Fatigue
- Nausea or vomiting
- Swelling in arms or legs (edema)
How is it treated?
Treatment for liver disease depends on the type of liver disease and the stage of the disease. Possible treatments include:
- Medications: There are medications available to treat some types of liver disease these include medicine for viral infections like hepatitis or inherited conditions.
- Lifestyle changes: Altering what is consumed to help manage certain types of liver disease. For non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, avoiding alcohol, limiting fat and increasing fibre in your food intake can help. Alcohol-related liver disease can be improved with abstinence from alcohol.
- Liver transplant: When liver disease progresses to liver failure, a liver transplant may be the recommended treatment option. A transplant replaces the failing liver with a healthy liver.
Our research
At Centenary our research is looking at the impact of inflammation in the liver and potential treatments around a number of areas. These areas include the cellular and molecular basis of the disease, fatty liver disease in conjunction with diabetes, liver infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and malaria, impacts of alcohol use, liver transplant tolerance and the tissue microenvironment in cancer.
These research projects are closely linked to the Liver Disease, Liver Cancer and Liver Transplant programs at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
In principle, all alcohol-related liver diseases, including cirrhosis and cancer, are preventable. Liver is the most affected organ by alcohol, metabolising ~98%, increasing the risk of cirrhosis, cancer and significant deaths.
In Australia, ~2% of drinkers/year will develop alcoholic cirrhosis with median survival as low as 1–2 years. Despite public health measures, risky drinking continues to be a major concern worldwide. Alcoholic cirrhosis is predicted to rise as the leading cause of liver disease in Australia and globally. Limited information on genetics and contributing factors makes it difficult for clinicians to predict who amongst the drinkers are at a greater risk of cirrhosis.
This research is unique in Australia, undertaking comprehensive genetics, molecular, animal and clinical approaches, making outstanding advances in identifying clinical risk factors (diabetes, coffee and cannabis use); novel SNPs in lipid biology; developing predictive algorithms for cirrhosis risk in drinkers; and finding drug targets.
Professor Devanshi Seth, Head of the Alcoholic Liver Disease Laboratory leads this research.
The rise of fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes is of particular concern. The focus in our research is understanding the roles played by the key DPP4 enzyme family. These include DP4 itself, DPP8 and 9 and Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP).
We have discovered that the genes for encoding the for enzymes of this family are important drivers of liver cirrhosis and liver . Also, enzymes make excellent drug targets to design. Our liver disease research is focused on certain type 2 diabetes therapies that may also combat fatty liver disease.
This research seeks to understand and develop ways to combat chronic liver diseases and liver cancer.
Professor Mark Gorrell, Head of Liver Enzyme in Metabolism and Inflammation Program leads this research.
This work is devoted to understanding pathways at the cellular and molecular levels that drive liver injury and cancer. These pathways may then be identified as targets to modulate these processes or be used for diagnosis and staging of liver disease and cancer.
We examine the underlying mechanisms that drive primary liver cancer (PLC) looking at liver inflammation, fibrosis and the liver stem cell response.
We use experimental models of cancer and liver injury as well as examine human PLC samples.
Professor Geoff McCaughan, Head of Liver Injury and Cancer Program leads this research.
The research is focused on the unique relationship between the liver and the immune system. Our research is helping to improve our understanding of the liver and its impact, wanted and unwanted, on immune responses.
The liver can be detrimental during infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and malaria. These diseases can use the liver as a means of persisting, which can often lead to chronic infection.
We are investigating how the liver induces immune tolerance and how immunity can be enhanced.
Associate Professor Patrick Bertolino and Associate Professor David Bowen, Joint Heads of Liver Immunology Program lead this research.
The liver is the primary metabolic organ in our body. Abnormal fat deposition in the liver causes a series of conditions, including insulin resistance, fatty liver, liver fibrosis and liver cancer.
Medical research on these liver diseases plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life for people with chronic illness and extending survival time for those with the fatal disease. At the forefront of medical research, Lipid Cell Biology Laboratory is focused on the study of sphingolipids, a class of essential fat products, in the liver. This work aims to identify key components for novel drug targets and early diagnostic biomarkers of liver diseases.
Dr Yanfei Jacob Qi, Head of Lipid Cell Biology Laboratory leads this research.
This page was last reviewed by a Centenary researcher on 19 August, 2022.
In principle, all alcohol-related liver diseases, including cirrhosis and cancer, are preventable. Liver is the most affected organ by alcohol, metabolising ~98%, increasing the risk of cirrhosis, cancer and significant deaths.
In Australia, ~2% of drinkers/year will develop alcoholic cirrhosis with median survival as low as 1–2 years. Despite public health measures, risky drinking continues to be a major concern worldwide. Alcoholic cirrhosis is predicted to rise as the leading cause of liver disease in Australia and globally. Limited information on genetics and contributing factors makes it difficult for clinicians to predict who amongst the drinkers are at a greater risk of cirrhosis.
This research is unique in Australia, undertaking comprehensive genetics, molecular, animal and clinical approaches, making outstanding advances in identifying clinical risk factors (diabetes, coffee and cannabis use); novel SNPs in lipid biology; developing predictive algorithms for cirrhosis risk in drinkers; and finding drug targets.
Professor Devanshi Seth, Head of the Alcoholic Liver Disease Laboratory leads this research.
The rise of fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes is of particular concern. The focus in our research is understanding the roles played by the key DPP4 enzyme family. These include DP4 itself, DPP8 and 9 and Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP).
We have discovered that the genes for encoding the for enzymes of this family are important drivers of liver cirrhosis and liver . Also, enzymes make excellent drug targets to design. Our liver disease research is focused on certain type 2 diabetes therapies that may also combat fatty liver disease.
This research seeks to understand and develop ways to combat chronic liver diseases and liver cancer.
Professor Mark Gorrell, Head of Liver Enzyme in Metabolism and Inflammation Program leads this research.
This work is devoted to understanding pathways at the cellular and molecular levels that drive liver injury and cancer. These pathways may then be identified as targets to modulate these processes or be used for diagnosis and staging of liver disease and cancer.
We examine the underlying mechanisms that drive primary liver cancer (PLC) looking at liver inflammation, fibrosis and the liver stem cell response.
We use experimental models of cancer and liver injury as well as examine human PLC samples.
Professor Geoff McCaughan, Head of Liver Injury and Cancer Program leads this research.
The research is focused on the unique relationship between the liver and the immune system. Our research is helping to improve our understanding of the liver and its impact, wanted and unwanted, on immune responses.
The liver can be detrimental during infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and malaria. These diseases can use the liver as a means of persisting, which can often lead to chronic infection.
We are investigating how the liver induces immune tolerance and how immunity can be enhanced.
Associate Professor Patrick Bertolino and Associate Professor David Bowen, Joint Heads of Liver Immunology Program lead this research.
The liver is the primary metabolic organ in our body. Abnormal fat deposition in the liver causes a series of conditions, including insulin resistance, fatty liver, liver fibrosis and liver cancer.
Medical research on these liver diseases plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life for people with chronic illness and extending survival time for those with the fatal disease. At the forefront of medical research, Lipid Cell Biology Laboratory is focused on the study of sphingolipids, a class of essential fat products, in the liver. This work aims to identify key components for novel drug targets and early diagnostic biomarkers of liver diseases.
Dr Yanfei Jacob Qi, Head of Lipid Cell Biology Laboratory leads this research.