Multaq Reports Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq  : A little background on the virus that causes hepatitis B is essential for understanding the disease, its symptoms, and especially its diagnosis. The existence of hepatitis B virus was discovered by accident in the 1960s. In 1965, Dr. Baruch Blumberg and collaborators discovered a protein of the hepatitis B [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : Liver function tests indicate how well the liver is performing par­ticular functions and the levels of certain measurements associated with inflammation. Dozens of different LFTs are performed in hospitals, but they all measure the levels of liver proteins, liver enzymes (called trans­aminases and cholestatic liver enzymes), and bilirubin. [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : Imaging Studies Usually the doctor will want to obtain at least one imaging study (usually a sono­gram) at some point during the diagnostic evaluation of chronic hepatitis B, especially when LFTs are elevated. While an enlarged liver or spleen may be detected on occasion, in general, imaging studies are [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : If no organ damage has occurred, phlebotomy usually prevents serious complications, such as liver disease, diabetes, and heart dis­ease, and phlebotomy patients have a normal life expectancy. IF, on the other hand, a complication has developed, phlebotomy can slow its progression or even reverse it. ^JWien scarring is present in the [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : THE LIVER BIOPSY AND WHY IT’S NECESSARY A liver biopsy is the removal of a tiny piece of liver tissue using a special needle. The fragment taken out resembles a one-inch piece of string or a tiny worm. Its removal does not disturb the functioning of the rest [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses are the major hepatotropic viruses that cause liver disease in humans (there is no hepatitis F). Some other viruses can also cause acute liver disease in otherwise healthy individ­uals. In most cases, these viruses cause systemic diseases that concur­rently affect the liver. These [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : Vitamin E and the many different vitamin formulations con­taining vitamin E should be discontinued a week before the biopsy because they could boost the effectiveness of aspirin and some blood-thinning drugs. Herbs such as garlic, ginseng, and ginkgo biloba could have the same effect and should be avoided as well. One [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : As with most liver diseases, diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma usually entails a series of tests, including blood work, imaging stud­ies, and possibly a liver biopsy. Only one blood test is commonly used to assist in the detection of HCC: the alpha-fetoprotein, or AFP. Known as a “tumor marker” because it can detect [...]

Multaq Contact Page     1-800-611-7080   Multaq : The liver is the site of metabolism of many nutrients. Carbohy­drates, fats, and proteins are both broken down and synthesized there. Normal liver function is critical for maintaining adequate blood sugar concentrations. The liver is also the major site of ammonia metabo­lism. Ammonia is a nitrogen [...]

Multaq Contact Page 1-800-611-7080   Multaq : Liver failure occurs when a large portion of hepatocytes (the major cells in the liver) die or cease to function. The liver can fail with sud­den or acute loss of liver cell function in an otherwise healthy body. The presentation in such cases of sudden liver failure is dramatic. Liver failure [...]