Mr. V is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining that he has been...

Mr. V is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining that he has been experiencing a persistent cough and feeling more fatigued, nauseous, and irritable. In addition, he is experiencing more frequent memory lapses. His stomach is distended, but on palpation, his liver is small in size and firm, indicating cirrhosis. Lab tests indicate a decrease in hemoglobin, albumin, levels with elevated serum bilirubin and ammonia levels.

QUESTION: Our liver has numerous important bodily functions. Explain the importance of the liver by describing a minimum of 4 of the liver's functions.

Solutions

Expert Solution

Liver plays an important role in storage of nutrients and detoxification:

The chylomicrons(dietary fats) coming from intestine after absorption through lymph reaches the liver for storage. These dietary fats are then degraded by hepatic lipases to form the new lipoproteins, cholestrol etc. which is transported to target organs through blood
Liver store excess of glucose by converting it to polymer glycogen(glycogenesis). When blood glucose level falls down; the liver breaks glycogen to release glucose (glycogenolysis)
Amino acids absorbed by small intestine enters liver where they undergo oxidative deamination to form keto acid and ammonia. Keto acid enter Kreb cycle for catabolism to provide energy and ammonia enters urea cycle where is combines with carbondioxide to release urea and water. Liver also help body to synthesisi new proteins from these amino acids.
Detoxification: Liver help to eliminate toxic substances by transforming them into the more soluble, excretable substances. It occurs in hepatocytes where toxins undergo conjugation with polar, water soluble groups making then easily excreted by urine.

Sydney Mullin answered 1 year ago

Next > < Previous

Related Solutions

Mr. V is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining that he has been...

Mr. V is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining that he has been experiencing a persistent cough and feeling more fatigued, nauseous, and irritable. In addition, he is experiencing more frequent memory lapses. His stomach is distended, but on palpation, his liver is small in size and firm, indicating cirrhosis. Lab tests indicate a decrease in hemoglobin, albumin, and prothrombin levels with elevated serum bilirubin and ammonia levels. 1. Describe the various stages through which Mr. V’s...

Mr. V is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining that he has been...

Cirrhosis Case Study Mr. V. is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining he...

Cirrhosis Case Study Mr. V. is a 55-year-old alcoholic who checked into a clinic, complaining he has been experiencing a persistent cough and has been feeling more fatigued, nauseous, and irritable. In addition, he is experiencing more frequent memory lapses. His abdomen is distended, but on palpation, his liver is small in size and firm, indicating cirrhosis. Lab tests indicate a decrease in hemoglobin, albumin, and prothrombin levels with elevated serum bilirubin and ammonia levels . Case Study Questions 1....

Mr. F is a 38-year-old man in overall good health who has been complaining about an...

Mr. F is a 38-year-old man in overall good health who has been complaining about an aching pain in his knees when working around the house and often when simply walking. He has noticed that his knees feel “hard” and tight. His history indicates that he has always been involved in athletics and was on the college football team, but recently family responsibilities and work have not made it easy for him to exercise. 1. Relate Mr. F’s case history...

A 55-year-old female patient comes into the clinic who was recently who was recently diagnosed with...

A 55-year-old female patient comes into the clinic who was recently who was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after her visit to a health fair. As the nurse, you initiate patient education on basic diabetic care and the woman asks questions about diet and exercise and how these relate to blood glucose levels. Find an appropriate piece of education material for this patient from the list of resources and explain to the patient why these are important.

Mr. kaled, the 55-year-old man admitted with a stroke, has many abnormal findings. He has a...

Mr. kaled, the 55-year-old man admitted with a stroke, has many abnormal findings. He has a history of hypertension, smoking, and mild baseline dementia. He appears fearful and agitated, asking for cigarettes, oriented to name only. His speech is comprehensible but slurred. Mr Ali is drowsy with periods of confusion. He has impaired short-term memory—remembers zero of three objects after 1 minute. He appears to have left visual field loss. He has right lower facial weakness left tongue deviation. His...

Jacob is a 45-year-old Construction foreman who presents to the clinic complaining of gastric distress and...

Jacob is a 45-year-old Construction foreman who presents to the clinic complaining of gastric distress and an associated lightheadedness. He is also experiencing excruciating intermittent pain in his kidney area radiating across his abdomen and into his genital area. Jacob has been treated for hypertension for five years but denies any known cardiac history. He was diagnosed with Diabetes Type II last year for which he takes metformin. His weight is stable, and he claims to have an excellent appetite....

W.M is a 32 year-old female who comes into the clinic today complaining of fatigue, difficulty...

W.M is a 32 year-old female who comes into the clinic today complaining of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, body aches, and weight gain of 10 lbs over the last 2 months. W.M has a sit down job and does not get much exercise. W.M. has also been noticing hair loss for 3 months and is always cold even in warm temperatures. She has been noticing swelling under her eyes. Vital signs are: t: 96.9, P: 56, rr:14, bp: 144/88. Questions to...

The patient is a 45-year-old man who presents to the clinic complaining of intermittent fevers, joint...

The patient is a 45-year-old man who presents to the clinic complaining of intermittent fevers, joint pain, myalgias, and generalized fatigue. He noticed a rash several days ago that seemed to appear and disappear on different parts of his abdomen. He noticed the lesion below this morning and decided to come in for evaluation. He denies recent international travel and the only difference in his usual routine was clearing some underbrush from his back yard about a week ago. Past...

Mr. Smith is a 55 Yr. old African American male that came to the ED complaining...

Mr. Smith is a 55 Yr. old African American male that came to the ED complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. Mr. Smith appears anxious, diaphoretic, and uncomfortable. He rates his chest pain as 9 on a pain scale of 10. Mr. smith has a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and chronic bronchitis. He admits to smoking 1 back per day and tries to exercise but is usually too busy. Objective data: B/P-190/88, HR-120, R-20, Sa02-94% (Room air), T-99...

Subjects