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Parenchymal liver disease in the elderly
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Introduction |
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Until recently, the subject of parenchymal liver disease
presenting in elderly patients had received little specific attention. Many studies have examined changes in morphology and function in the
aging liver, initially in rodents and subsequently in humans. In
summary, there are no age specific alterations in conventional liver
biochemistry (serum bilirubin, serum aminotransferases, hepatic
alkaline phosphatase, and other liver blood tests) but a number of
dynamic measurements of liver function do decline from early adulthood
to senescence.1 Liver size, liver blood flow and liver
perfusion decline between the third and tenth decades by
30-40%.2 Most reflections of dynamic liver
function
galactose elimination, aminopyrine demethylation, or caffeine
clearancefall pari passu with the reduction in liver volume and blood
flow.3 4
Conceivably, some specific liver functionsfor
example, hepatic nitrogen clearance, are independently impaired, in
this case by up to 50% with advancing age.5 It is
probably in the area of liver
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Gut 1997 41: 421.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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