Close to 30 million people in the United States are affected by liver disease. While this condition does not always cause symptoms that can be seen or felt, it can lead to widespread consequences. The liver is deeply interconnected with the body’s metabolic systems, meaning dysfunction in this organ extends far beyond itself.
In addition to its direct impact on digestion and detoxification, liver disease has been increasingly linked to cardiovascular complications. Understanding this connection is critical to protecting long-term health.
To fully appreciate the connection between liver and heart health, it’s important to understand how the liver functions under normal conditions.
The liver is one of the body’s most powerful and complex organs. It produces bile to help break down fats, converts glucose into glycogen to help regulate blood sugar levels, filters toxins from the bloodstream, and performs a variety of other essential functions.
Diseases of the liver impact how effectively the organ functions, which can have wide-reaching repercussions on overall health. Numerous conditions can result in liver damage, including viral hepatitis, alcohol-related liver disease, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic-related liver conditions.
Liver disease typically progresses through four main stages:
1. Inflammation: Early liver injury triggers swelling and immune activation.
2. Fibrosis: Scar tissue begins replacing healthy liver tissue.
3. Cirrhosis: Extensive scarring permanently damages liver structure and function.
4. Liver failure: The liver can no longer perform critical metabolic and detoxification functions. In advanced cases, transplantation may become necessary.
Liver disease and heart disease are linked in a variety of ways. This connection is driven by several overlapping biological processes. When liver function becomes impaired, changes in inflammation, cholesterol metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and cardiac function can collectively increase strain on the cardiovascular system.
Fatty liver disease, in particular, can increase your chances of developing cardiovascular issues. In fact, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death among individuals with chronic liver conditions.
Liver disease can cause persistent inflammation in the liver. As damage continues, the immune system remains active in an attempt to repair the tissue. Over time, this ongoing inflammatory response contributes to fibrosis and progressive liver damage.
The damage that occurs during the later stages of liver disease, including scarring, restricts blood flow and leads to further issues. This prompts a healing response from the body that never stops. At the same time, damaged liver cells release inflammatory molecules that trigger the immune system to release pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Importantly, this inflammation does not remain confined to the liver. Inflammation damages blood vessels, allowing plaque to build. The plaque is unstable, potentially leading it to break off and cause clots. These inflammatory mediators can also contribute to vascular stiffness and changes in heart muscle function and increase cardiovascular risk.
Liver disease can throw off your body’s cholesterol levels because the liver helps control how fats move through your bloodstream. When cholesterol gets too high, it can build up inside your arteries. Over time, this buildup makes the arteries stiff and narrow, which limits blood flow to the heart. When the heart has to work harder to pump blood through these narrowed vessels, the risk of a heart attack increases.
Liver disease, especially when it reaches the cirrhosis stage, can cause portal hypertension. This is high pressure in the vein that brings blood to the liver. There will also be higher vascular resistance in the organ, which can force blood to course through smaller veins. Often, that causes them to enlarge.
The dysregulation of blood pressure within the organ impacts your entire body, including your heart. In advanced stages, liver dysfunction can also affect kidney function and fluid balance, which may further strain the cardiovascular system.
Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy
Liver disease can trigger cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, which makes it difficult for the heart to contract correctly. You can experience arrhythmias because of the electrical changes that occur when the heart doesn’t contract as it should. Because of these issues, the heart must work harder to pump blood, which can weaken it over time.
At Orlando Clinical Research Center, we understand the importance of advancing evidence-based treatments for liver disease. As a dedicated clinical research facility, we oversee a variety of liver studies to understand how the organ metabolizes and processes medications. Expanding this knowledge is essential to improving therapeutic strategies for patients with liver disease.
Whether you’re seeking to participate in clinical trials or are looking for a location to run your study, our team can help. Contact us today to learn more about our current studies.
This article is part of the Liver, Kidney & Metabolic Disease Research series. Click here for info.
