The liver is one of our vital organs, providing more than 500 functions for the body.
Therefore, damage to the liver can be dangerous, with the later stages of scarring potentially leading to liver failure and even cancer.
Fibrosis is the name given to the first stages of scarring to the liver, caused by constant inflammation.
This occurs due to various chronic liver diseases including fatty liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease.
However, new research suggests that fibrosis is linked to more than just damage to the liver.
A study, by a team at the Yale School of Medicine in the US, found that fibrosis is associated with reduced cognitive ability and, in certain parts of the brain, reduced brain volume.
They believe this could be linked to inflammation.
The findings, published in eBioMedicine, come as there is a growing body of scientific evidence showing how brain health and body health are interconnected.
In a university release Dustin Scheinost, associate professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at Yale and senior author of the study, said: “More and more, folks are starting to realise that there’s not this split between brain-based disorders and other types of physical health.
“We’re starting to understand that liver disease, heart disease, and other diseases will have impacts on the brain, and brain disorders have impacts on the body.”
As part of the new study, Scheinost and his team used data on more than 500,000 adults from the UK Biobank.
The researchers specifically looked at liver fibrosis, cognitive function – including working memory, the ability to solve new problems, and processing speed – and grey matter volume in different regions of the brain.
They discovered that, compared with healthy participants, those with liver fibrosis tended to have reduced cognitive ability and reduced grey matter volume in several brain regions, including the hippocampus, thalamus, striatum, and brain stem.
“There was a significant negative correlation between liver fibrosis and multiple cognitive functions, including working memory, prospective memory, and processing speed,” said lead author of the study Rongtao Jiang.
While this type of study did not allow the team to establish definite cause and effect, they were able to consider what could be the reason for the link.
Inflammation was one such potential reason. To explore this theory researchers used a marker of systemic inflammation – a molecule called C-reactive protein.
They found C-reactive protein levels were higher in participants with liver fibrosis than in those without.
This suggests inflammation may contribute, in part, to the link between the liver and brain.
The study findings could also help shape preventative measures for cognitive decline in the future, the team believes.
Jiang added: “Early-stage liver fibrosis is a reversible syndrome, and our current study suggests that early surveillance and prevention of liver disease may reduce cognitive decline and brain volume loss.
“And since we found a mediating effect of systemic inflammation, it may tell us that drugs or interventions that target inflammation may help us prevent the disease burden of liver fibrosis.”
The team also think the results show that preventing liver disease could help delay the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
How to keep your liver healthy
According to the British Liver Trust, nine in 10 cases of liver disease are preventable.
To prevent damage to the liver it suggests:
- Cutting back on alcohol – drinking no more than 14 units a week and try to give your liver a break between drinking
- Losing weight if you are overweight
- Exercising regularly
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet full of fruit and vegetables.
Symptoms of liver damage include:
- Tiredness and weakness
- Feeling sick (nausea) and loss of appetite resulting in weight loss
- Red patches on your palms and small, spider-like blood vessels on your skin above waist level
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- A high temperature and shivering
- Vomiting blood
- Pale-coloured poo
- Itchy skin
- A painful, swollen tummy from a build-up of fluid (ascites)
- Dark pee or tarry-looking poo
- Bleeding or bruising easily
- Swelling of your legs, ankles and feet (oedema)
- Personality changes, confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, or hallucinations
- In women, abnormal periods
- In men, enlarged breasts, a swollen scrotum (the loose sac of skin that contains the testicles) or shrunken testicles
- Loss of sex drive (libido).
If you are concerned that you could be suffering from any liver problems you should speak to your GP.
“And since we found a mediating effect of systemic inflammation, it may tell us that drugs or interventions that target inflammation may help us prevent the disease burden of liver fibrosis.”
The team also think the results show that preventing liver disease could help delay the progression of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
How to keep your liver healthy
According to the British Liver Trust, nine in 10 cases of liver disease are preventable.
To prevent damage to the liver it suggests:
Cutting back on alcohol – drinking no more than 14 units a week and try to give your liver a break between drinking
Losing weight if you are overweight
Exercising regularly
Eating a healthy, balanced diet full of fruit and vegetables.
Symptoms of liver damage include:
Tiredness and weakness
Feeling sick (nausea) and loss of appetite resulting in weight loss
Red patches on your palms and small, spider-like blood vessels on your skin above waist level
Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
A high temperature and shivering
Vomiting blood
Pale-coloured poo
Itchy skin
A painful, swollen tummy from a build-up of fluid (ascites)
Dark pee or tarry-looking poo
Bleeding or bruising easily
Swelling of your legs, ankles and feet (oedema)
Personality changes, confusion, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, or hallucinations
In women, abnormal periods
In men, enlarged breasts, a swollen scrotum (the loose sac of skin that contains the testicles) or shrunken testicles
Loss of sex drive (libido).
If you are concerned that you could be suffering from any liver problems you should speak to your GP.
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