Liver Disease Center - St. Petersburg, FLSt. Petersburg 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 St. Petersburg * Dwarka G Nath MD PA  Girish B Patel MD  Joseph A Boulay Jr. MD PA  Pediatric Gastroenterology  Paul E McRae MD  Robert H Wharton MD  Gastroenterology & Oncology Assoc  Center for Digestive Care Inc  Center for Digestive Care Inc  Center for Digestive Care Inc  Center for Digestive Care Inc  Advanced Gastro & Liver Care PA  Iyunni V S Nath MD PA  Center for Digestive Diseases  Center for Digestive Diseases  Florida Center For Gastroenterology  Florida Center For Gastroenterology  Florida Center For Gastroenterology  Florida Center For Gastroenterology  Florida Center For Gastroenterology  A J Bidani MD  Heidi E Goldberg MD  Drs Whitaker, Weintraub, Prockop & Grizzard  Suncoast Internal Medicine Consultants  Diagnostic Clinic Largo  John Isaac Delgado MD  John Q Stauffer MD Palma CEIA Medical Group  Morris R Hanan MD PA  Center For Digestive Healthcare  Norman B Edgerton Jr. MD PA  Pediatric Gastroenterology  John H Ahn MD  Louis Aviles MD  Satinderpal S Sondhi MD  Bay Area Gastroenterology  Bay Area Gastroenterology  Advanced Digestive Care  Eric D Weston MD FACG  Gastroenterology Consultants Of Clearwater  Gastroenterology Consultants Of Clearwater  Gastroenterology Consultants Of Clearwater  Lifelink Healthcare Institute  Morton Plant Mease Primary Care  David R Heiman MD PA  Roland David Shepard MD  Colin T Chircop MD  Gastroenterology Specialists of Tampa  Gerald H Dominguez MD  Gastroenterology Specialists of Tampa  Gastroenterology Specialists of Tampa  Leopoldo Grauer MD FACG  HealthPoint Medical Group  HealthPoint Medical Group  HealthPoint Medical Group  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Ashok K Dhaduvai MD  Sun Coast GI Associates  Madhu Goyal MD  Sun Coast GI Associates  Sun Coast GI Associates  Sun Coast GI Associates  Sun Coast GI Associates  Gerardo F Palacios MD PA  Gastroenterology Associates of Manatee PA  Gastroenterology Associates of Manatee PA  Gastroenterology Associates of Manatee PA  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Rosabella Shek MD  Digestive Disease Specialist  Digestive Disease Specialist  Gulfcoast Gastroenterology Consultants  Brandenton Gastroenterology  Ishwari Prasad MD  USF Physicians Group Gastroenterology  USF Physicians Group  James A Haley VA Medical Center  USF Physicians Group Gastroenterology  USF Physicians Group  USF Physicians Group Gastroenterology  USF Physicians Group Gastroenterology  Ronald L Barbour MD & Emmanuel Mompi MD  Moffitt Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Tumor  Moffitt Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Tumor  Moffitt Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Tumor  Moffitt Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Tumor  Eugene A Ward MD  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Florida Medical Clinic PA  Richard J Eatroff MD PA  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Mazen Kattih MD St. Petersburg, FloridaSt. Petersburg (often shortened to St. Pete) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The city is known as a vacation destination for North American and European vacationers.
With a purported average of some 360 days of sunshine each year, it is nicknamed "The Sunshine City." For that reason, the city is a popular tourist and retirement destination, especially for those in the United States from colder Northern climates ? particularly New York City, Detroit, and Chicago. However, in recent years the population has shifted in a more youthful direction.
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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 St. Petersburg
Nearby St. Petersburg Hospitals *St Anthony's Hospital Edward White Hospital All Children's Hospital Bayfront Medical Center Kindred Hospital St Petersburg Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute St Petersburg General Hospital Palms of Pasadena Hospital Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Kindred Hospital Tampa Windmoor Healthcare of Clearwater Largo Medical Center HEALTHSOUTH Rehabilitation Hospital of Largo Sun Coast Hospital Memorial Hospital of Tampa Mease Countryside Hospital Tampa General Hospital Morton Plant Hospital Town & Country Hospital St Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa St Joseph's Hospital St Joseph's Women's Hospital University Community Hospital Carrollwood Kindred Hospital Central Tampa South Bay Hospital Mease Dunedin Hospital Manatee Memorial Hospital Blake Medical Center Shriners Hospital for Children Manatee Glens Hospital Manatee Palms Youth Services H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute James A Haley VA Medical Center University Community Hospital Brandon Regional Hospital Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital Lakewood Ranch Medical Center Community Hospital of New Port Richey Morton Plant North Bay Hospital Bayside Center for Behavioral Health Sarasota Memorial Hospital South Florida Baptist Hospital 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
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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)
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Infectious Mononucleosis
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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
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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
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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
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Alcoholism
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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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Drug-Induced Liver Disease
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Blood Clots
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Encephalopathy
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