Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The most common causes of accumulation of fat in the
liver are alcoholism and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
(NAFLD)
associated
with obesity and diabetes.
Drugs may cause fatty liver with or without associated hepatitis. Patients with
drug-induced fatty liver may have only a few symptoms, or none. They typically
have mild to moderate elevations in blood levels of ALT and AST, and also may
develop enlarged livers. In severe cases, drug-induced fatty liver can lead to
cirrhosis and liver failure.
Drugs reported to cause fatty liver include total parenteral nutrition, methotrexate (Rheumatrex), griseofulvin (Grifulvin V), tamoxifen
(Nolvadex),
steroids, valproate (Depakote), and amiodarone (Cordarone).
In certain situations, fatty liver alone can be life
threatening. For example, Reye's syndrome is a rare liver disease that can cause
fatty liver, liver failure, and coma. It is believed to occur in children and
teenagers with influenza when they are given aspirin. Another example of serious
fatty liver is caused by high doses of intravenous tetracycline or amiodarone. Certain herbs
(for example, the Chinese herb Jin Bu Huan, used as a sedative and pain
reliever) also can cause serious fatty liver.
Cirrhosis
Chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis, fatty liver, or cholestasis can
lead to the necrosis (death) of liver cells. Scar tissue forms as part of the
healing process that is associated with the dying liver cells, and severe
scarring of the liver can lead to cirrhosis.
The most common example of drug-induced cirrhosis is alcoholic cirrhosis .
Examples of drugs that can cause chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis include
methotrexate (Rheumatrex), amiodarone (Cordarone), and methyldopa (Aldomet).
Please read the article on Cirrhosis
for more information.
Drug-Induced Liver Disease - Describe Your ExperienceQuestion: The symptoms of drug-induced liver disease can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Cirrhosis of the liver refers to a disease in which normal liver cells are replaced by scar tissue caused by alcohol and viral hepatitis B and C. This disease leads to abnormalities in the liver's ability to handle toxins and blood flow, causing internal bleeding, kidney failure, mental confusion, coma, body fluid accumulation, and frequent infections. Symptoms include yellowing of the skin, itching, and fatigue.
Liver disease can be cause by a variety of things including infection (hepatitis), diseases such as gallstones, high cholesterol or triglycerides, blood flow obstruction to the liver, and toxins (medications and chemicals). Symptoms of liver disease depends upon the cause; however, common symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, upper right abdominal pain, and jaundice. Treatment depends upon the cause of the liver disease.
Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is usually spread by
blood transfusion, hemodialysis, and needle sticks, especially with intravenous
drug abuse. Chronic hepatitis C may be treated with interferon, usually in combination with anti-virals.
Jaundice is a yellowish staining of the skin and whites of the eyes (sclerae) with bilirubin, the pigment found in bile. Jaundice can be an indicator of liver or gallbladder disease, or it may result from the rupture of red blood cells (hemolysis).
Alcoholism is a disease that includes alcohol craving and continued drinking despite repeated alcohol-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law.
The hepatitis B virus is a unique, coated DNA virus belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family of viruses. The course of the virus is determined primarily by the age at which the infection is acquired and the interaction between the virus and the body's immune system. Successful treatment is associated with a reduction in liver injury and fibrosis (scarring), a decreased likelihood of developing cirrhosis and its complications, including liver cancer, and a prolonged survival.
The liver is the largest solid organ in the body, and is actually an gland. The liver has a wide variety of critical functions such as manufacturing proteins and metabolizing fats and carbohydrates. The liver also eliminates harmful biochemical waste products from the body (alcohol, drugs, toxins). The liver secretes bile that aids in digestion. Examples of diseases of the liver include cirrhosis, hepatitis, cancer, and fatty liver. Symptoms of liver disease include bleeding, easy bruising, edema, fatigue, and jaundice.
Drugs commonly abused by teens include tobacco products, marijuana, cold medications, inhalants, depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, PCP, ketamine, Ecstasy, and anabolic steroids. Some of the symptoms and warning signs of teen drug abuse include reddened whites of eyes, paranoia, sleepiness, excessive happiness, seizures, memory loss, increased appetite, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, and irritability. Treatment of drug addiction may involve a combination of medication, individual, and familial interventions.
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