The liver, weighing 3.5 to 4 pounds, is the body’s largest internal organ. It also serves as the body’s major chemical processing organ. Saddled with the task of removing toxic substances from the blood, the liver is responsible for detoxifying alcohol. Chronic consumption of alcohol can eventually damage the liver. The gallbladder is a less significant organ. It is known to concentrate and store bile, a substance produced by the liver that is used to digest fat in the small intestine. The gallbladder discharges bile through the cystic duct into a common bile duct that transports it into the small intestine when needed. Furthermore, if the gallbladder becomes diseased and must be removed, the liver takes over its functions and supplies bile to the intestine.
What is a Stroke?
There are two basic kinds of strokes [ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke]. Strokes affect at least 500,000 people each year. An ischemic stroke is caused by a blocked blood vessel, called tia. It occurs as mini-strokes, which usually come and go quickly. If left untreated, it often leads to a full-blown stroke. Tia usually lasts several minutes to a few hours, although the symptoms may last up to 24 hours. If it continues beyond 24 hours, it is considered a full-blown stroke and some type of brain infarction [tissue death] has likely occurred.
A hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a burst blood vessel, and referred to as a bleeding stroke, occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures. It usually occurs between the skull and the brain and is called an intracranial hemorrhage. More women than men have strokes, and age is a key risk factor in its development. Hormone use, taking birth control pills, even with low dose estrogen, smoking, or having high blood pressure boosts stroke risk. Women who have more than one miscarriage may be at risk for higher blood clots, which consequently raises their stroke risk. In addition, pregnant women with high blood pressure, and who have high protein levels in the urine are at high risk. Complications in pregnancy have been linked to later-life strokes, and women tend to suffer more disability after a stroke compared to men.
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