| >About Liver Disease HEPATITIS C HEPATITIS B Other liver diseases |
The liver is the biggest organ in the body and is responsible for a
very wide range of functions. It is quite robust but can be damaged by
a variety of insults and the most common are drugs and alcohol, viruses
and the accumulation of fat. Other causes include immune mediated
disorders and inherited diseases. Any of these can cause “Liver
Disease” resulting in liver damage and altered function. In most cases
this does not cause specific symptoms but may be associated with
fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, itching or jaundice (a yellow
discoloration of the skin). As a result, liver disease is frequently
only detected when routine blood tests show “abnormal liver function.”
Liver disease may be acute (short-lived lasting for less than 6 months)
or chronic (lasting for more than 6 months) but patients may not be
able to pinpoint the onset of illness.
The liver is capable of extensive natural regeneration, and acute injuries can heal without lasting damage, such as the formation of scars. Many chronic liver diseases, however, result in the creation of fibrosis (or scar tissue) as a reaction to the disease, which may in time lead to cirrhosis. Once cirrhosis has developed the condition may progress to cause liver failure or liver cancer. Although these conditions may be fatal liver transplantation can be life saving. Liver fibrosis and its consequences are the tenth leading cause of death worldwide. In the UK the situation is even worse with liver disease being the fifth most common cause of death and the only one in the top five that is rising. Liver biopsies have traditionally been the only means of determining the extent of fibrosis. Increasingly, non-invasive tests (for example involving serum markers) are being used in an attempt to reduce the trauma to patients of repeated biopsies and increase the accuracy of fibrosis measurement. iQur offers rapid analysis of serum markers of liver fibrosis, using the ELF™ Test, which employs an algorithm based on a panel of key biological markers. This panel, derived from extensive research by scientists working with iQur 1, includes hyaluronic acid, tissue inhibitor of matrix metallo-proteinase 1 (TIMP-1), amino terminal pro-peptide of type III collagen (PIIINP), and collagen IV. A dramatic increase in the prevalence of chronic liver disease is forecast over the next 20 years due to the impact of increasing alcohol consumption, non alcoholic fatty liver disease and particularly from the consequences of chronic hepatitis C. iQur’s mission is to deliver innovation to the global problem of liver disease, alleviating morbidity and reducing mortality via patient targeted therapies. 1. Rosenberg WM, Voelker M, Thiel R et al. Serum markers detect the presence of liver fibrosis: a cohort study. Gastroenterology 2004 127(6):1704-1713 |
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