Timbrt/Liver-Text-OA huggingface dataset:
Question: What is (are) Porphyria ?
Answer: Heme is a red pigment composed of iron linked to a chemical called protoporphyrin. Heme has important functions in the body. The largest amounts of heme are in the form of hemoglobin, found in red blood cells and bone marrow. Hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. In the liver, heme is a component of proteins that break down hormones, medications, and other chemicals and keep liver cells functioning normally. Heme is an important part of nearly every cell in the body.
Question: What is (are) Porphyria ?
Answer: Each of the eight types of porphyria corresponds to low levels of a specific enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Experts often classify porphyrias as acute or cutaneous based on the symptoms a person experiences:
                
- Acute porphyrias affect the nervous system. They occur rapidly and last only a short time.  - Cutaneous porphyrias affect the skin.
                
Two types of acute porphyrias, hereditary coproporphyria and variegate porphyria, can also have cutaneous symptoms.
                
Experts also classify porphyrias as erythropoietic or hepatic:
                
- In erythropoietic porphyrias, the body overproduces porphyrins, mainly in the bone marrow.  - In hepatic porphyrias, the body overproduces porphyrins and porphyrin precursors, mainly in the liver.
                
Table 1 lists each type of porphyria, the deficient enzyme responsible for the disorder, and the main location of porphyrin buildup.
                
Table 1. Types of porphyria
                
Type of Porphyria    Deficient Enzyme    Main Location of Porphyrin Buildup                  delta-aminolevulinate-dehydratase deficiency porphyria    delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase    liver        acute intermittent porphyria    porphobilinogen deaminase    liver        hereditary coproporphyria    coproporphyrinogen oxidase    liver        variegate porphyria    protoporphyrinogen oxidase    liver                congenital erythropoietic porphyria    uroporphyrinogen III cosynthase    bone marrow        porphyria cutanea tarda    uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (~75% deficiency)    liver        hepatoerythropoietic porphyria    uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (~90% deficiency)    bone marrow        erythropoietic protoporphyria*    ferrochelatase (~75% deficiency)    bone marrow
                
*Protoporphyria XLPP is a variant of erythropoietic protoporphyria.
Question: What causes Porphyria ?
Answer: Most porphyrias are inherited disorders. Scientists have identified genes for all eight enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway. Most porphyrias result from inheriting an abnormal gene, also called a gene mutation, from one parent. Some porphyrias, such as congenital erythropoietic porphyria, hepatoerythropoietic porphyria, and erythropoietic protoporphyria, occur when a person inherits two abnormal genes, one from each parent. The likeliness of a person passing the abnormal gene or genes to the next generation depends on the type of porphyria.
                
Porphyria cutanea tarda is usually an acquired disorder, meaning factors other than genes cause the enzyme deficiency. This type of porphyria can be triggered by
                
- too much iron  - use of alcohol or estrogen  - smoking  - chronic hepatitis Ca long-lasting liver disease that causes inflammation, or swelling, of the liver  - HIVthe virus that causes AIDS  - abnormal genes associated with hemochromatosisthe most common form of iron overload disease, which causes the body to absorb too much iron
                
For all types of porphyria, symptoms can be triggered by
                
- use of alcohol  - smoking  - use of certain medications or hormones  - exposure to sunlight  - stress  - dieting and fasting
Question: What is (are) Cirrhosis ?
Answer: Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver slowly deteriorates and is unable to function normally due to chronic, or long lasting, injury. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and partially blocks the flow of blood through the liver.
                
The liver is the bodys largest internal organ. The liver is called the bodys metabolic factory because of the important role it plays in metabolismthe way cells change food into energy after food is digested and absorbed into the blood. The liver has many functions, including
                
- taking up, storing, and processing nutrients from foodincluding fat, sugar, and proteinand delivering them to the rest of the body when needed  - making new proteins, such as clotting factors and immune factors  - producing bile, which helps the body absorb fats, cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins  - removing waste products the kidneys cannot remove, such as fats, cholesterol, toxins, and medications
                
A healthy liver is necessary for survival. The liver can regenerate most of its own cells when they become damaged. However, if injury to the liver is too severe or long lasting, regeneration is incomplete, and the liver creates scar tissue. Scarring of the liver, also called fibrosis, may lead to cirrhosis.
                
The buildup of scar tissue that causes cirrhosis is usually a slow and gradual process. In the early stages of cirrhosis, the liver continues to function. However, as cirrhosis gets worse and scar tissue replaces more healthy tissue, the liver will begin to fail. Chronic liver failure, which is also called end-stage liver disease, progresses over months, years, or even decades. With end-stage liver disease, the liver can no longer perform important functions or effectively replace damaged cells.
                
Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly 32,000 deaths each year. More men die of cirrhosis than women.1
Question: What to do for Cirrhosis ?
Answer: A healthy diet is important in all stages of cirrhosis because malnutrition is common in people with this disease. Malnutrition is a condition that occurs when the body does not get enough nutrients. Cirrhosis may lead to malnutrition because it can cause
                
- people to eat less because of symptoms such as loss of appetite  - changes in metabolism  - reduced absorption of vitamins and minerals
                
Health care providers can recommend a meal plan that is well balanced and provides enough calories and protein. If ascites develops, a health care provider or dietitian may recommend a sodium-restricted diet. To improve nutrition, the health care provider may prescribe a liquid supplement. A person may take the liquid by mouth or through a nasogastric tubea tiny tube inserted through the nose and throat that reaches into the stomach.
                
A person with cirrhosis should not eat raw shellfish, which can contain a bacterium that causes serious infection. Cirrhosis affects the immune system, making people with cirrhosis more likely than healthy people to develop an infection after eating shellfish that contain this bacterium.
                
A health care provider may recommend calcium and vitamin D supplements to help prevent osteoporosis.
Question: What to do for Cirrhosis ?
Answer: - Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver slowly deteriorates and is unable to function normally due to chronic, or long lasting, injury. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and partially blocks the flow of blood through the liver.  - The most common causes of cirrhosis in the United States are chronic hepatitis C, alcohol-related liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and chronic hepatitis B.  - Many people with cirrhosis have no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. However, as the disease progresses, a person may experience the following symptoms:      - fatigue, or feeling tired    - weakness    - itching    - loss of appetite    - weight loss    - nausea    - bloating of the abdomen from ascitesa buildup of fluid in the abdomen    - edemaswelling due to a buildup of fluidin the feet, ankles, or legs    - spiderlike blood vessels, called spider angiomas, on the skin    - jaundice, a condition that causes the skin and whites of the eyes to turn yellow    - As the liver fails, complications may develop. In some people, complications may be the first signs of the disease.  - A health care provider usually diagnoses cirrhosis based on the presence of conditions that increase its likelihood, such as heavy alcohol use or obesity, and symptoms. A health care provider may confirm the diagnosis with      - a medical and family history    - a physical exam    - a blood test    - imaging tests    - a liver biopsy    - Treatment for cirrhosis depends on the cause of the disease and whether complications are present.  - A health care provider may consider a liver transplant when cirrhosis leads to liver failure or treatment for complications is ineffective.
Question: What is (are) What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: Hepatitis* A is a virus, or infection, that causes liver disease and inflammation of the liver. Viruses can cause sickness. For example, the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses to each other.
                
Inflammation is swelling that occurs when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can cause organs to not work properly.
Question: What is (are) What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: The liver is an organ that does many important things. You cannot live without a liver.
                
*See the Pronunciation Guide for tips on how to say the words in bold type.
                
The liver
                
- removes harmful chemicals from your blood  - fights infection  - helps digest food  - stores nutrients and vitamins  - stores energy
Question: Who is at risk for What I need to know about Hepatitis A? ?
Answer: Anyone can get hepatitis A, but those more likely to are people who
                
- travel to developing countries  - live with someone who currently has an active hepatitis A infection  - use illegal drugs, including noninjection drugs  - have unprotected sex with an infected person  - provide child care
                
Also, men who have sex with men are more likely to get hepatitis A.
Question: What are the symptoms of What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: Most people do not have any symptoms of hepatitis A. If symptoms of hepatitis A occur, they include
                
- feeling tired  - muscle soreness  - upset stomach  - fever  - loss of appetite  - stomach pain  - diarrhea  - dark-yellow urine  - light-colored stools  - yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice
                
Symptoms of hepatitis A can occur 2 to 7 weeks after coming into contact with the virus. Children younger than age 6 may have no symptoms. Older children and adults often get mild, flulike symptoms. See a doctor right away if you or a child in your care has symptoms of hepatitis A.
Question: How to diagnose What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: A blood test will show if you have hepatitis A. Blood tests are done at a doctors office or outpatient facility. A blood sample is taken using a needle inserted into a vein in your arm or hand. The blood sample is sent to a lab to test for hepatitis A.
Question: What are the treatments for What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: Hepatitis A usually gets better in a few weeks without treatment. However, some people can have symptoms for up to 6 months. Your doctor may suggest medicines to help relieve your symptoms. Talk with your doctor before taking prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
                
See your doctor regularly to make sure your body has fully recovered. If symptoms persist after 6 months, then you should see your doctor again.
                
When you recover, your body will have learned to fight off a future hepatitis A infection. However, you can still get other kinds of hepatitis.
Question: What to do for What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: If you have hepatitis A, you should do things to take care of yourself, including eating a healthy diet. Avoid drinking alcohol, which can harm the liver. Talk with your doctor before taking vitamins and other supplements.
Question: What to do for What I need to know about Hepatitis A ?
Answer: - Hepatitis A is a virus, or infection, that causes inflammation of the liver.  - Anyone can get hepatitis A, but some people are more likely to than others.  - You could get hepatitis A through contact with an infected persons stool.  - Most people do not have any symptoms of hepatitis A.  - Children younger than age 6 may have no symptoms of hepatitis A.  - Hepatitis A may cause mild, flulike symptoms in older children and adults.  - See a doctor right away if you or a child in your care has symptoms of hepatitis A.  - A blood test will show if you have hepatitis A.  - Hepatitis A usually gets better in a few weeks without treatment.  - You can avoid getting hepatitis A by receiving the hepatitis A vaccine.  - Tell your doctor and your dentist if you have hepatitis A.  - See your doctor right away if you think you have been in contact with the hepatitis A virus.
Question: What is (are) Acquired Cystic Kidney Disease ?
Answer: Acquired cystic kidney disease differs from PKD in several ways. Unlike acquired cystic kidney disease, PKD is a genetic, or inherited, disorder that can cause complications such as high blood pressure and problems with blood vessels in the brain and heart.
                
The following chart lists the differences:
                
People with Polycystic Kidney Disease   - are born with a gene that causes the disease   - have enlarged kidneys   - develop cysts in the liver and other parts of the body   People with Acquired Cystic Kidney Disease   - do not have a disease-causing gene   - have kidneys that are normal-sized or smaller   - do not form cysts in other parts of the body
                
In addition, for people with PKD, the presence of cysts marks the onset of their disease, while people with acquired cystic kidney disease already have CKD when they develop cysts.
                
More information is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Question: What is (are) Your Guide to Diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2 ?
Answer: Diabetes is when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is the main type of sugar found in your blood and your main source of energy. Glucose comes from the food you eat and is also made in your liver and muscles. Your blood carries glucose to all of your bodys cells to use for energy.
                
Your pancreasan organ, located between your stomach and spine, that helps with digestionreleases a hormone it makes, called insulin, into your blood. Insulin helps your blood carry glucose to all your bodys cells. Sometimes your body doesnt make enough insulin or the insulin doesnt work the way it should. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesnt reach your cells. Your blood glucose levels get too high and can cause diabetes or prediabetes.
                
Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems.
                
*See the Pronunciation Guide for tips on how to say the the words in bold type.
Question: What are the complications of Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: Without treatment, iron may build up in the organs and cause complications, including
                
- cirrhosis, or scarring of liver tissue  - diabetes  - irregular heart rhythms or weakening of the heart muscle  - arthritis  - erectile dysfunction
                
The complication most often associated with hemochromatosis is liver damage. Iron buildup in the liver causes cirrhosis, which increases the chance of developing liver cancer.
                
For some people, complications may be the first sign of hemochromatosis. However, not everyone with hemochromatosis will develop complications.
Question: What are the treatments for Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: Health care providers treat hemochromatosis by drawing blood. This process is called phlebotomy. Phlebotomy rids the body of extra iron. This treatment is simple, inexpensive, and safe.
                
Based on the severity of the iron overload, a patient will have phlebotomy to remove a pint of blood once or twice a week for several months to a year, and occasionally longer. Health care providers will test serum ferritin levels periodically to monitor iron levels. The goal is to bring serum ferritin levels to the low end of the average range and keep them there. Depending on the lab, the level is 25 to 50 g/L.
                
After phlebotomy reduces serum ferritin levels to the desired level, patients may need maintenance phlebotomy treatment every few months. Some patients may need phlebotomies more often. Serum ferritin tests every 6 months or once a year will help determine how often a patient should have blood drawn. Many blood donation centers provide free phlebotomy treatment for people with hemochromatosis.
                
Treating hemochromatosis before organs are damaged can prevent complications such as cirrhosis, heart problems, arthritis, and diabetes. Treatment cannot cure these conditions in patients who already have them at diagnosis. However, treatment will help most of these conditions improve. The treatments effectiveness depends on the degree of organ damage. For example, treating hemochromatosis can stop the progression of liver damage in its early stages and lead to a normal life expectancy. However, if a patient develops cirrhosis, his or her chance of developing liver cancer increases, even with phlebotomy treatment. Arthritis usually does not improve even after phlebotomy removes extra iron.
Question: What to do for Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: Iron is an essential nutrient found in many foods. Healthy people usually absorb less than 10 percent of iron in the food they eat.6 People with hemochromatosis absorb up to 30 percent of that iron.6 People with hemochromatosis can help prevent iron overload by
                
- eating only moderate amounts of iron-rich foods, such as red meat and organ meat  - avoiding supplements that contain iron  - avoiding supplements that contain vitamin C, which increases iron absorption
                
People with hemochromatosis can take steps to help prevent liver damage, including
                
- limiting the amount of alcoholic beverages they drink because alcohol increases their chance of cirrhosis and liver cancer  - avoiding alcoholic beverages entirely if they already have cirrhosis
Question: What to do for Hemochromatosis ?
Answer: - Hemochromatosis is the most common form of iron overload disease. Too much iron in the body causes hemochromatosis.  - Inherited genetic defects cause primary hemochromatosis.  - Primary hemochromatosis mainly affects Caucasians of Northern European descent.  - A person with hemochromatosis may notice one or more of the following symptoms: joint pain; fatigue, or feeling tired; unexplained weight loss; abnormal bronze or gray skin color; abdominal pain; and loss of sex drive. Not everyone with hemochromatosis will develop these symptoms.  - Without treatment, iron may build up in the organs and cause complications, including cirrhosis, diabetes, irregular heart rhythms or weakening of the heart muscle, arthritis, and erectile dysfunction.  - If a health care provider diagnoses and treats the iron overload caused by hemochromatosis before organ damage has occurred, a person can live a normal, healthy life.  - Experts recommend testing for hemochromatosis in people who have symptoms, complications, or a family history of the disease.  - Health care providers treat hemochromatosis by drawing blood. This process is called phlebotomy.
Question: What is (are) Dumping Syndrome ?
Answer: The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anusthe opening where stool leaves the body. The body digests food using the movement of muscles in the GI tract, along with the release of hormones and enzymes. The upper GI tract includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, and small intestine. The esophagus carries food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach. The stomach slowly pumps the food and liquids into the intestine, which then absorbs needed nutrients. Two digestive organs, the liver and the pancreas, produce digestive juices that reach the small intestine through small tubes called ducts.
                
The last part of the GI tractcalled the lower GI tractconsists of the large intestine and anus. The large intestine is about 5 feet long in adults and absorbs water and any remaining nutrients from partially digested food passed from the small intestine. The large intestine then changes waste from liquid to a solid matter called stool. Stool passes from the colon to the rectum. The rectum is located between the last part of the coloncalled the sigmoid colonand the anus. The rectum stores stool prior to a bowel movement. During a bowel movement, stool moves from the rectum to the anus.
Question: How to diagnose Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis ?
Answer: NASH is usually first suspected in a person who is found to have elevations in liver tests that are included in routine blood test panels, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST). When further evaluation shows no apparent reason for liver disease (such as medications, viral hepatitis, or excessive use of alcohol) and when x rays or imaging studies of the liver show fat, NASH is suspected. The only means of proving a diagnosis of NASH and separating it from simple fatty liver is a liver biopsy. For a liver biopsy, a needle is inserted through the skin to remove a small piece of the liver. NASH is diagnosed when examination of the tissue with a microscope shows fat along with inflammation and damage to liver cells. If the tissue shows fat without inflammation and damage, simple fatty liver or NAFLD is diagnosed. An important piece of information learned from the biopsy is whether scar tissue has developed in the liver. Currently, no blood tests or scans can reliably provide this information.
Question: What are the symptoms of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis ?
Answer: NASH is usually a silent disease with few or no symptoms. Patients generally feel well in the early stages and only begin to have symptomssuch as fatigue, weight loss, and weaknessonce the disease is more advanced or cirrhosis develops. The progression of NASH can take years, even decades. The process can stop and, in some cases, reverse on its own without specific therapy. Or NASH can slowly worsen, causing scarring or fibrosis to appear and accumulate in the liver. As fibrosis worsens, cirrhosis develops; the liver becomes seriously scarred, hardened, and unable to function normally. Not every person with NASH develops cirrhosis, but once serious scarring or cirrhosis is present, few treatments can halt the progression. A person with cirrhosis experiences fluid retention, muscle wasting, bleeding from the intestines, and liver failure. Liver transplantation is the only treatment for advanced cirrhosis with liver failure, and transplantation is increasingly performed in people with NASH. NASH ranks as one of the major causes of cirrhosis in America, behind hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease.