Liver Disease Center - South Whittier, CASouth Whittier Gastroenterologist Doctors for Liver DiseaseType of Physician: Gastroenterologist What is a Gastroenterologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated. Specialty: Gastroenterology Common Name: GI Doctor Gastroenterologist Doctors in South Whittier * Richard L Parks MD & Barton Ueki MD  Abdul Alaama MD  Robert A Mecum MD  Rangarao Panguluri MD  Neal M Shindel MD  Conrad A Cox MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Kenny Su MD  Shang Cheng Wu MD  Digestive Disease Center  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Mark Li MD  Lisandro Quinones MD  Gastro Digestive Medical Group  Frischer Medical Group  Steven J Weiss MD  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  Ching-Hsiu Chen MD  Behrooz Ahmadi MD  Norman Kuo MD  Tu Tran MD  St Jude Heritage Medical Group Bastanchury  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  The Internal Medical Group  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  St Jude Heritage Medical Sunnycrest  Dennis Chan MD  Firmin Ho MD  Chia-Chi G Lai MD  Barry Morguelan MD  Kwok-Leung Chung MD  Chun Yen Hsu MD  Shih Lin Lue MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Suresht Paul Sharma MD  Mumtaz Akram MD  Internal Medicine Specialists Medical Groups  Kenneth Yamashiro MD  Richard Yip MD  Ravindra Alapati MD  Ashok Amin MD  Ambika Bali MD  Syam P Gaddam MD  Jose Pantoja MD  Chester D Zahn MD  Derek M. Dobalian MD  Thomas S Lam MD  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Robert J Mehler MD  Associated Gastroenterology Medical Group  Songul Atay MD Inc  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Consultants  Gastroenterology Consultants  Hertz & Associates in Gastroenterology A Medical Group Inc  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Gastro-Digestive Medical Group  Talbert Medical Group  Hanson T Lee Inc  Jay Noble MD  Multi Health Care Medical Group  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Valley Gastroenterology Consultants  Magan Medical Clinic  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  City of Hope National Medical Center Gastroenterology  USC Internal Medicine  Ethelred Carter MD  Shahnawaz Jaffer MD  White Memorial Medical Group  LAC / Martin Luther King Jr General Hospital  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Edward Laurance MD  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants  Alliance Digestive Disease Consultants Medical Group  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Gastroenterology Associates  Roque Hung & Yu Digestive Diseases  The Internal Medical Group  Hoa Nguyen MD Inc  The Internal Medical Group  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates  Long Beach Gastroenterology Associates South Whittier, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-05-28
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Liver DiseaseRead the Liver Disease article » What is liver disease?Liver disease is any disturbance of liver function that causes illness. The liver is responsible for many critical functions within the body and should it become diseased or injured, the loss of those functions can cause significant damage to the body. Liver disease is also referred to as hepatic disease. Liver disease is a broad term that covers all the potential problems that may occur to cause the liver to fail to perform its designated functions. Usually, more than 75% or three quarters of liver tissue needs to be affected before decrease in function occurs. The liver the largest solid organ in the body; and is also considered a gland because among its many functions, it makes and secretes bile. The liver is located in the upper right portion of the abdomen protected by the rib cage. It has two main lobes that are made up of tiny lobules. The liver cells have two different sources of blood supply. The hepatic artery supplies oxygen rich blood that is pumped from the heart, while the portal vein supplies nutrients from the intestine and the spleen. Normally, veins return blood from the body to the heart, but the portal vein allows chemicals from the digestive tract to enter the liver for "detoxification" and filtering prior to entering the general circulation. The portal vein also efficiently delivers the chemicals and proteins that liver cells need to produce the proteins, cholesterol, and glycogen required for normal body activities. As part of its function, the liver makes bile, a fluid that contains among other substances, water, chemicals, and bile acids (made from stored cholesterol in the liver). Bile is stored in the gallbladder and when food enters the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), bile is secreted into the duodenum, to aid in digestion of food.
The liver is the only organ in the body that can ea... Recommended Reading Related to Liver DiseaseIntroduction to Portal HypertensionPortal hypertension is an increase in the blood pressure within a system of veins called the portal venous system. Normally, the veins come from the stomach, intestine, spleen, and pancreas, merge into the portal vein, which then branches into smaller vessels and travels through the liver. If the vessels in the liver are blocked, it is hard for the blood to flow causing high pressure in the portal system. When the pressure becomes too high, the blood backs up and finds other ways to flow back to the heart, where it is pumped to the lungs, where it gets rid of waste products and picks up oxygen. The blood can travel to the veins in the esophagus (esophageal varices), in the skin of the abdomen, and the veins of the rectum and anus (hemorrhoids) to get around the blockages in the liver. What Causes Portal Hypertension?/h...Other Related Liver Disease ArticlesEmergency Contact for South Whittier
Nearby South Whittier Hospitals *Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital Whittier Hospital Medical Center Metropolitan State Hospital Kindred Hospital La Mirada Norwalk Community Hospital Coast Plaza Doctors Hospital Beverly Hospital Downey Regional Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center Greater El Monte Community Hospital College Hospital Cerritos Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center BHC Alhambra Hospital Bellflower Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Baldwin Park La Palma Intercommunity Hospital St Jude Medical Center Monterey Park Hospital Vista Specialty Hospital of San Gabriel Valley City of Angels Medical Center Ingleside Campus Garfield Medical Center Kindred Hospital Brea Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles Suburban Medical Center Campus Citrus Valley Medical Center Queen of the Valley Campus Tri-City Regional Medical Center Los Angeles Community Hospital East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Lakewood Regional Medical Center Doctor's Hospital West Covina St Francis Medical Center West Anaheim Medical Center Anaheim Regional Medical Center Anaheim General Hospital San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Alhambra Hospital Medical Center Community Hospital of Huntington Park Los Alamitos Medical Center Kindred Hospital San Gabriel Valley Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles LAC + USC Medical Center LAC + USC Medical Center Women's & Children's Hospital Martin Luther King Jr MAC Service Center USC University Hospital USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Methodist Hospital White Memorial Medical Center Citrus Valley Medical Center Inter Community Campus Western Medical Center Anaheim City of Hope National Medical Center Placentia-Linda Hospital Aurora Las Encinas Hospital Community Hospital of Long Beach Long Beach Memorial Medical Center Miller Children's Hospital Pacific Alliance Medical Center VA Long Beach Healthcare System Huntington Hospital Kaiser Mental Health Center Pacific Hospital of Long Beach Aurora Charter Oak Hospital California Hospital Medical Center Kindred Hospital Westminster Barlow Respiratory Hospital Orthopaedic Medical Center Good Samaritan Hospital University Of California Irvine Medical Center Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center St Mary Medical Center St Vincent Medical Center San Dimas Community Hospital East Valley Hospital Medical Center Foothill Presbyterian Hospital Memorial Hospital of Gardena Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
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Cholesterol
- Cholesterol is naturally produced by the body, and is a building block for cell membranes and hormones. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol, conversely, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is the "good" cholesterol. High cholesterol treatment includes lifestyle changes (diet and exercise), and medications such as statins, bile acid resins, and fibric acid derivatives.
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Cirrhosis (Liver)
- 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.
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Gallstones
- Gallstones are stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones (formed in the gallbladder) can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination. The majority of gallstones do not cause symptoms.
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Hemochromatosis (Iron Overload)
- Hereditary hemochromatosis (iron overload) is an inherited disorder in which there is excessive accumulation of iron in the body. Individuals may have no symptoms or signs, or they can have severe symptoms and signs of iron overload. The most effective treatment for hemochromatosis is therapeutic phlebotomy.
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Viral Hepatitis
- Hepatitis is most often viral, due to infection with one of the hepatitis viruses (A, B, C, D, E, F (not confirmed), and G) or another virus (such as those that cause infectious mononucleosis, cytomegalovirus disease). The main nonviral causes of hepatitis are alcohol and drugs. Many patients infected with hepatitis A, B, and C have few or no symptoms of illness. For those who do develop symptoms of viral hepatitis, the most common are flu- like symptoms including: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever, weakness, tiredness, and aching in the abdomen. Treatment of viral hepatitis is dependant on the type of hepatitis.
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Hepatitis A and B Immunizations
- Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are the two most commnon viruses that infect the liver. Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B can be prevented and treated with immunizations (vaccinations) such as Havrix, Vaqta, Twinrix, Comvax, Pediarix, and hepatitis b immune globulin (HBIG).
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Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence)
- Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is a common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse or the inability to achieve ejaculation, or both. Impotence can have emotional causes but most often it is due to a physical problem.
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Infectious Mononucleosis
- Infectious mononucleosis is a virus infection in which there is an increase of white blood cells that are mononuclear (with a single nucleus) "Mono" and "kissing disease" are popular terms for this very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
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Sickle Cell Disease (Sickle Cell Anemia)
- Sickle cell anemia (sickle cell disease), a blood disease which shortens life expectancy, is cause by an inherited abnormal hemoglobin. Symptoms may include bacterial infections, painful swelling of the hands and feet, fever, leg ulcers, fatigue, anemia, eye damage, and lung and heart injury. Treatment for sickle cell anemia aims to manage and prevent the worst manifestations of the disease and focuses on therapies that block red blood cells from stacking together, which can lead to tissue and organ damage and pain.
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Hepatitis C
- 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.
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Jaundice
- 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).
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Abdominal Pain
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Fatty Liver
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver disease ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis), to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis (irreversible, advanced scarring of the liver). All of the stages of NAFLD have in common the accumulation of fat (fatty infiltration) in the liver cells (hepatocytes).
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Liver Cancer
- Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the majority of patients with liver cancer will die within one year as a result. Patients with associated cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis B or C infections, alcohol, and hemochromatosis are at the greatest risk of developing liver cancer. Many patients with liver cancer do not develop symptoms until the advanced stages of the tumor which usually makes prognosis poor. The combination of an imaging study (ultrasound, CT, or MRI scans) and an elevated blood level of alpha-fetoprotein will most effectively diagnose liver cancer, while a liver biopsy can make a definitive diagnosis. Medical treatments, including chemotherapy, chemoembolization, ablation, and proton beam therapy, are not very effective. Surgical removal of the tumor or a liver transplant may be most effective in certain cases.
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Pulmonary Hypertension
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Congestive Heart Failure
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Toxoplasmosis
- Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is a parasitic infection that causes flulike symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches and pains that may last from a few days to several weeks. Toxoplasmosis can be contracted by touching the hands to the mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat's litter box, or anything that came into contact with cat feces. Toxoplasmosis can also be contracted by eating raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork or lamb, or touching the hands to the mouth after contact with raw or undercooked meat.
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Alcoholism
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Intestinal Problems of IBD)
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Itching
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Hepatitis B
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Tylenol Liver Damage
- Tylenol liver damage (acetaminophen) can occur from accidentally ingesting too much acetaminophen, or intentionally. Acetaminophen is a drug contained in over 200 OTC and prescription medications from NyQuil to Vicodin. Avoiding unintentional overdoses include reading medication labels, write down the dosages of medications you are taking, do not drink excessive alcohol while taking acetaminophen. In severe cases, a liver transplant may be necessary.
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Portal Hypertension
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Nausea and Vomiting
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Drug-Induced Liver Disease
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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
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Blood Clots
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Encephalopathy
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