When you are diagnosed with hepatitis B, you learn about the importance of keeping your liver as healthy as possible. An important part of this learning process is understanding the various functions of your liver and the role it plays in your overall health.

Liver anatomy and function

The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. It lies under the right ribs, just beneath the right lung and diaphragm (the membrane below the lungs that moves up and down as you breathe). If you were to poke your fingers up under your right ribs, you would almost be touching your liver.

The liver is shaped like a pyramid and is divided into right and left lobes. Unlike most other organs, the liver receives blood from two sources. The hepatic artery supplies the liver with blood that is rich in oxygen, and the portal vein carries nutrient-rich blood from the intestines to the liver.

The liver performs many complex tasks that are essential to our very survival. Its functions include:

Converting the food we eat into stored energy and chemicals necessary for life and growth Acting as a filter to remove alcohol and toxic substances from the blood and convert them to substances that can be excreted from the body Processing drugs and medications absorbed from the digestive system, enabling the body to use them effectively and ultimately dispose of them Creating important chemicals used by the body, including bile, which is essential for the digestion of fats in the small intestine

What does the liver do?

• Stores energy and nutrients
• Filters toxic substances
• Processes medications
• Makes important substances
  like bile for digestion and blood-clotting factor

The dangerous effects of chronic hepatitis B on your liver

As you have heard, the hepatitis B virus can harm your liver and prevent it from doing its many important jobs. Without treatment, chronic hepatitis B can lead to a condition called "cirrhosis" of the liver. Cirrhosis is the destruction of normal liver tissue. Hardened scars are left behind, preventing blood from freely flowing through the liver.

Cirrhosis can also lead to liver cancer, which is the most serious complication facing people with chronic hepatitis B. In fact, chronic hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide — accounting for about 80% of all cases.

The link between liver cancer and hepatitis B

Liver cancer is much more common in developing countries such as Africa and East Asia. In many of these countries, it is by far the most common type of cancer. This is due mostly to the high rate of chronic hepatitis B in these countries. The high rate of hepatitis B in Asia is also one of the reasons the rate is high among Asian Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the greatest health disparity between Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans is liver cancer. Liver cancer rates are 13 times higher in Vietnamese Americans, eight times higher in Korean Americans and six times higher in Chinese Americans than Caucasian Americans.

Primary liver cancer is about twice as common in men as it is in women. Symptoms of liver cancer may not appear until the disease is advanced, so only a small number of liver cancers are found in the early stages. As a result, the overall five-year relative survival rate is only 9% according to the American Cancer Society.

Because of the serious threat that hepatitis B poses to your liver, it is extremely important to work with your doctor to monitor your liver and ask about getting screened for cancer. Remember, the goal of treatment for hepatitis B is to keep the amount of the virus in your body as low as possible. With treatment, you have the best chance at fighting the virus and its serious effects.

What you can do to help support a healthy liver

First, be sure to see your doctor for regular monitoring of your liver. Chronic hepatitis B can silently attack your liver, so blood tests or a liver biopsy may be the only way to tell if your liver is at risk. Also, check out our tips for healthy living. There are things you can do on your own every day to help keep your liver healthy.

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