Sitemap

health advisory Hospital Doctor Yu 2007-11-8 19:08:53

Answers:

Vipress is correct.

Human Serum Albumin (HSA) is the main factor keeping fluid inside capillaries, and stopping too much fluid passing across the thin capillary endothelium, into tissues. It does this by its osmotic effect; it forms complexes with water, as well as with many other compounds in blood etc. A damaged liver is less able to make HSA, and so there is insufficient HSA in blood, and oedema results.

Fluid may then accumulate in the peritoneal cavity, resulting in ascites.

---

Cirrhosis of liver is transformation of most of liver tissue into fibrous tissue.Veins taking blood to liver(from digestive system)can no longer do that job effectively.Pressure in these veins increases(portal hypertension)and fluid stays in abdominal cavity.(Ascites)This fluid compresses "inferior vena cava" the main vein that takes blood from lower parts of body,and so swelling (Edema)appears in lower limbs.

---

When the liver loses its ability to make the protein albumin, water accumulates in the leg (edema) and abdomen (ascites).it's as simple as that

---

because the liver is not functioning correctly, so it cannot filter out all the things that you are taking into the body. So when your liver is shot you are pretty much in trouble. everything else starts to break down.

---

Your liver makes certain proteins that circulate in your blood that function to keep the fluids in your blood in the vessels. With cirrhosis, the liver cannot make these proteins like it used to; therefore, fluids in the blood leak out of vessels and cause swelling.

---

A damaged liver either from cirrhosis, or hepatitis or other pathologies can cause the liver reduce the production of albumin. Albumin is the major protein in the blood plasma. One of its function is to provide oncotic pressure or the osmotic draw so that fluids from the tissues can get back into venous circulation. If the body is low on albumin from liver disease, or a protein losing enteropathy, or kidney disease too much fluid will accumulate in these tissues and edema will result.

---