October is Liver Awareness Month. How much do you know about the liver? Try your hand at this quiz (the answers are at the bottom):

1. The liver is about the size of:

a) a grapefruit

b) a plum

c) a baseball

d) a football

e) a bread box

2. The liver has over:

a) 100 functions

b) 250 functions

c) 500 functions

d) 1000 functions

e) 5000 functions

3. The liver synthesizes (builds) several necessary components. These include:

a) proteins

b) hormones

c) clotting factors

d) immune factors

e) all of the above

4. The liver regulates the production, storage, and release of:

a) sugar

b) fats

c) cholesterol

d) all of the above

e) sugar and cholesterol, but not fat

5. The liver contains an intricate system of arteries, veins and capillaries. On average, how much blood flows through the liver every minute:

a) a cup and a half

b) a pint

c) a pint and a half

d) a quart and a half

e) Half a gallon

6. Where does liver cancer rank in cause of death from cancer in the world.

a) First

b) Second

c) Third

d) Fourth

e) Fifth

7. In the U.S., people from what race/ethnic groups have the highest rates of liver cancer?

a) Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders

b) American Indians/Alaska Natives

c) Latinos

d) African Americans

e) White, non-Latino Americans.

8. Severe scarring of the liver is called cirrhosis. Symptoms of severe, or decompensated cirrhosis include:

a) portal hypertension (high blood pressure in the liver vessels)

b) varices (stretched and weakened blood vessels) in the esophagus, stomach and other organs of the gastrointestinal system, and internal bleeding.

c) ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen)

d) hepatic encephalopathy (a type of dementia caused by build-up of toxins and metabolic byproducts, such as ammonia)

e) all of the above

Hope you passed! For more information about the liver and hepatitis, visit the HEP web site.

Answers:

  1. d, 2. c, 3. e, 4. d, 5. d, 6.b, 7. a, 8. e