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When my teacher explained what my liver does for my body, I totally understood how sniffing inhalants, like glue or gasoline, damages my liver. Now, I get to share this information with you. The liver is one of the biggest organs in the body and it helps us digest everything we put into our body. The liver also helps us filter out waste and harmful substances from the blood. Can you guess what I am going to say next? If you guessed that I am going to tell you that inhalants are poisons, you are right. And, when we bring these poisons into our body, we make our liver work extra hard, which might cause it to break down and not function as well.
Source: Girlpower.gov
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Chronic use of some drugs, such as heroin, inhalants and steroids, may lead to significant damage to the liver.
| Drugs that can cause liver damage: |
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| Selected Research Findings on the Mental Health Effects of Drug Abuse |
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Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Infection and other Comorbidities on Survival in Patients on Dialysis
The impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other comorbid conditions upon survival is not well quantified in patients on dialysis. The authors identified HCV-infected and uninfected persons in the USRDS using claims data in 1997-1998 and followed until September 22, 2002 or death. They used Gray's time-varying coefficients model to examine factors associated with survival. Subjects with a renal transplant were excluded. A total of 5737 HCV-infected and 11 228 HCV-uninfected persons were identified. HCV-infected subjects were younger (mean age 57.8 vs 65.3 years), more likely to be male (57.6%vs 49.6%) and black (54.0%vs 36.4%). They were more likely to have a diagnosis of drug (16.5%vs 4.6%) and alcohol use (14.0%vs 3.1%), and to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected (7.4%vs 1.8%) (all comparisons, P < 0.0005). In an adjusted Gray's time-varying coefficient model, HCV was associated with an increased risk of mortality (P < 0.0005). The hazards were highest at the time of HCV diagnosis and decreased to a stable level 2 years after diagnosis. Other factors associated with increased risk of mortality were (P < 0.0005 unless stated) HIV coinfection; diagnosis of drug use (P = 0.001); coronary artery disease (P = 0.006); stroke; diabetes as the primary cause for renal failure; peripheral vascular disease; depression and presence of anemia. HCV was associated with higher risk of death in patients on dialysis, even after adjusting for concurrent comorbidities. The risk was highest at the time of HCV diagnosis and stabilized over time. Clinical trials of HCV screening and treatment to reduce mortality in this population are warranted. Butt, A.A., Skanderson, M., McGinnis, K.A., Ahuja, T., Bryce, C.L., Barnato, A.E., and Chang, C.C. J. Viral Hepat. 14(10), pp. 688-696, 2007.
The Insulin-like Growth Factor Axis and Risk of Liver Disease in Hepatitis C Virus/HIV-Co-Infected Women
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I stimulates the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), the primary source of extracellular matrix accumulation in liver fibrosis. In contrast, insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) 3, the most abundant IGFBP in circulation, negatively modulates HSC mitogenesis. To investigate the role of the IGF axis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver disease among high-risk patients, the authors prospectively evaluated HCV-viremic/HIV-positive women. This study comprised a cohort investigation in which total IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured in baseline serum specimens obtained from 472 HCV-viremic/HIV-positive subjects enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a large multi-institutional cohort. The aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), a marker of liver fibrosis, was assessed annually. Normal APRI levels (< 1.0) at baseline were detected in 374 of the 472 HCV-viremic/HIV-positive subjects tested, of whom 302 had complete liver function test data and were studied. IGF-I was positively associated [adjusted odds ratio comparing the highest and lowest quartiles (AORq4-q1), 5.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-29.1; Ptrend = 0.03], and IGFBP-3 was inversely associated (AORq4-q1, 0.13; 95% CI 0.02-0.76; Ptrend = 0.04), with subsequent (incident) detection of an elevated APRI level (> 1.5), after adjustment for the CD4 T-cell count, alcohol consumption, and other risk factors. The authors conclude that high IGF-I may be associated with increased risk and high IGFBP-3 with reduced risk of liver disease among HCV-viremic/HIV-positive women. Strickler, H.D., Howard, A.A., Peters, M., Fazzari, M., Yu, H., Augenbraun, M., French, A.L., Young, M., Gange, S., Anastos, K., and Kovacs, A. AIDS. 22(4), pp. 527-531, 2008.
Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Infection and other Comorbidities on Survival in Patients on Dialysis
The impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other comorbid conditions upon survival is not well quantified in patients on dialysis. The authors identified HCV-infected and uninfected persons in the USRDS using claims data in 1997-1998 and followed until September 22, 2002 or death. They used Gray's time-varying coefficients model to examine factors associated with survival. Subjects with a renal transplant were excluded. A total of 5737 HCV-infected and 11 228 HCV-uninfected persons were identified. HCV-infected subjects were younger (mean age 57.8 vs 65.3 years), more likely to be male (57.6%vs 49.6%) and black (54.0%vs 36.4%). They were more likely to have a diagnosis of drug (16.5%vs 4.6%) and alcohol use (14.0%vs 3.1%), and to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected (7.4%vs 1.8%) (all comparisons, P < 0.0005). In an adjusted Gray's time-varying coefficient model, HCV was associated with an increased risk of mortality (P < 0.0005). The hazards were highest at the time of HCV diagnosis and decreased to a stable level 2 years after diagnosis. Other factors associated with increased risk of mortality were (P < 0.0005 unless stated) HIV coinfection; diagnosis of drug use (P = 0.001); coronary artery disease (P = 0.006); stroke; diabetes as the primary cause for renal failure; peripheral vascular disease; depression and presence of anemia. HCV was associated with higher risk of death in patients on dialysis, even after adjusting for concurrent comorbidities. The risk was highest at the time of HCV diagnosis and stabilized over time. Clinical trials of HCV screening and treatment to reduce mortality in this population are warranted. Butt, A.A., Skanderson, M., McGinnis, K.A., Ahuja, T., Bryce, C.L., Barnato, A.E., and Chang, C.C. J. Viral Hepat. 14(10), pp. 688-696, 2007.
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