Besides being the organ and gland of greatest volume, the liver is one of the most important metabolic centers of the body. It carries out functions as varied as protein synthesis, bile production, detoxification of the blood, the storage of vitamins and nutrients, and the production of the coagulation factors, to mention only those of greatest medical relevance.Any disease that damages the liver will therefore have a global repercussion on the rest of the body, leading to a marked deterioration in the general state of health. Unfortunately, diseases of this organ are very common, and their causes are very varied.Liver toxicity due to alcohol is a pathology of many aspects, in which it is impossible to intervene effectively without taking social and psychobiological factors into consideration. Its high frequency and the profound organic and social deterioration that it causes, establish it as a disease of central importance in health care.The infectious diseases of the liver, particularly those of viral origin, are very common throughout the world. Many of them can be prevented and there are even vaccines of proven efficacy to block their transmission; however, their prevalence remains inexplicably high.In view of the unquestionable importance of the diseases of the liver, we have decided to produce this thematic miniatlas, which we hope will be a constant source of reference for the health professional.
