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New study explains link between liver disease and heart problems

Category: Liver Diseases

Researchers have identified molecular changes that occur in the liver that may explain why people with liver disease have abnormal cholesterol levels. In conjunction with liver panel tests, these changes may predict the severity of a patient's condition.

In the study, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University showed that more seriously diseased livers produce more cholesterol than healthy organs, and also lack a receptor that instructs cells to remove cholesterol from the blood. These findings explain why people with liver disease frequently have unhealthy cholesterol levels.

This link to high cholesterol levels helps explain why people with liver disease often experience cardiovascular complications.

Additionally, the research showed that the presence of these abnormalities predicted the progression of patients' conditions. Individuals were more likely to have severe cases when these abnormalities were present than when they weren't.

This new understanding of factors that influence the development of serious liver problems could help doctors more effectively diagnose and treatment the condition.Given the skyrocketing rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which are largely a result of the obesity epidemic, this could come as a major benefit to the healthcare system.