Liver

The liver is a large, wedge-shaped internal organ in the upper right part of the abdomen. It processes nutrients and many other substances carried in the blood, helping the body use, store, or remove them. The liver is part of the digestive system, although its work also supports metabolism, immunity, blood clotting, and many other body processes.

Where is the liver located?

The liver lies beneath the diaphragm and behind the lower right ribs. It is near the stomach, gallbladder, intestines, and right kidney, with a smaller part extending toward the left side of the upper abdomen. This liver location helps explain its relationship to nearby organs, but the normal position of the liver alone does not explain every cause of abdominal pain.

The liver has a broad, wedge-like shape and is divided into a larger right lobe and a smaller left lobe. Its underside has important openings and surfaces where blood vessels, bile ducts, and nearby organs connect. These features help orient the organ without requiring a detailed knowledge of surgical anatomy.

How the liver connects with other organs

The liver connects functionally with the gallbladder and small intestine through the bile ducts. Blood enters through the hepatic artery and portal vein, while the hepatic veins carry blood away from the liver toward the heart. Under a microscope, the liver is organized into tiny units called hepatic lobules, which contain liver cells that carry out many of its chemical and filtering tasks.

Liver function involves processing carbohydrates, fats, proteins, medicines, hormones, and other substances carried in the blood. These jobs are closely connected: the liver changes nutrients into usable forms, stores some materials, makes important proteins, and breaks down or removes certain substances.

What does the liver do?

The liver makes bile, which helps the body digest fats, and stores and releases glucose, vitamins, and minerals as needed. It produces blood proteins and clotting factors, converts ammonia into urea for removal in urine, and breaks down some medicines and toxins. It also helps filter blood arriving from the digestive tract and supports immune defenses. A healthy liver generally detoxifies the body without commercial liver cleanses or detox products. Dietary beef liver is a nutrient-rich food, but eating it is not the same as improving the liver’s own function.

Liver disease includes several different groups of conditions. Examples include fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, alcohol-associated liver disease, autoimmune and inherited liver disorders, cirrhosis, liver tumors, and liver failure. The cause, duration, and severity of the problem determine which tests and treatments may be needed.

Possible symptoms and signs of liver disease

Early liver disease may cause no noticeable symptoms. Possible liver disease symptoms later include fatigue, nausea, reduced appetite, itching, easy bruising, jaundice, dark urine, pale stools, abdominal swelling, or discomfort in the upper right abdomen. These signs are not specific to liver problems, so symptoms of liver disease require clinical assessment rather than self-diagnosis.

Seek urgent medical care for confusion, vomiting blood, black stools, severe jaundice, rapidly increasing abdominal swelling, or sudden severe illness. These can be warning signs of a serious complication, but not every symptom means liver failure. Prompt evaluation is especially important when symptoms are severe, worsening, or accompanied by abnormal test results.

Clinicians may use a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, imaging, elastography, or sometimes a biopsy to identify the cause and extent of liver injury. The evaluation may also consider alcohol or medicine exposure, infections, metabolic health, family history, and other medical conditions. Testing helps guide treatment rather than simply confirming that a liver problem exists.

Treatment approaches by cause

Treatment depends on the specific condition. It may include antiviral medicines for selected viral hepatitis infections, stopping or avoiding a causative medicine or substance when medically directed, and weight and metabolic management for fatty liver disease. Alcohol cessation support, treatment for autoimmune or inherited disorders, and care for cirrhosis complications may also be needed. Medication doses should be reviewed with a clinician; supplements and liver cleanses can cause harm or interact with medicines, so a fatty liver diet or other changes should be discussed with a healthcare professional.

Advanced liver failure may require specialist care, hospitalization, or liver transplantation. People with persistent symptoms, signs of liver damage, or abnormal liver tests should seek professional evaluation instead of trying to self-treat. A clinician can recommend the appropriate treatment for a liver problem based on its cause and severity.