Jaundice in Adults: Is It the Liver or the Bile Duct?
Adult jaundice happens when bilirubin, a waste product from red blood cell breakdown, collects in the blood. Three areas tend to be behind it: the liver, the bile ducts, or red blood cells breaking down too fast. In adults, the first two account for most of what we...
How Does Alcohol Affect the Liver in Men Over 35?
Alcohol damages the liver in stages. First, fat collects in the liver cells. Left unchecked, that can tip into inflammation, the condition known as alcoholic hepatitis, and eventually into cirrhosis, where scar tissue permanently replaces what was healthy. For men...
What Do FibroScan Numbers Actually Mean for Your Liver?
A FibroScan reports two figures. Liver stiffness comes in kilopascals, the kPa value, and reflects scarring: the lower it sits, the healthier the liver, while higher readings point toward fibrosis or cirrhosis. The second figure, the CAP score in decibels per metre,...