On June 30, 2020 MOHAN Foundation organized its second panel discussion as part of its series, ‘Synchrony Dialogues,’ launched on June 12, 2020. These discussions are open to the general public, whosoever is interested in the topic. The title of the discussion was ‘How to take care of your liver’ and it was in association with Medanta - The Medicity.

The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Pallavi Kumar (Executive Director - Delhi-NCR) MOHAN Foundation. The expert faculty for panel discussion was Dr. Arvinder Singh Soin, Chairman Institute of Liver Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Medanta - The Medicity and Dr. Sanjiv Saigal, Senior Director - Hepatology & Liver Transplant, Medanta - The Medicity, Delhi.

Dr. Sanjiv Saigal began the discussion by explaining the importance of liver. He explained that the liver has many important metabolic functions like it converts the nutrients in our diet into substances that the body can use. It stores these substances and supplies to the cells when needed. He informed that the liver takes up toxic substances and converts them into harmless substances or makes sure that they are removed from the body. He threw light on the subject of fatty liver which is also known as hepatic steatosis and it happens when fat builds up in the liver, having small amounts of fat in your liver is normal, but too much of fat can become a health problem.

Dr. Soin threw light on symptoms and causes of liver diseases. He also explained the types of liver failure, acute and chronic. On being asked about longevity of a liver transplant patient, he replied that they do transplantation in children and infants with the hope that it lasts them a lifetime and that the transplanted liver will function properly. He also shared his experience of a liver transplant that was done in a child who was 17 months old at the time of the operation, to support his statement. The donor was the child’s father. Now, the recipient is 24 years old, wants to become a surgeon and is healthy and doing well.

Post session interaction was lively as the participants asked a number of questions and were keen to discuss the topic. To name a few:

• Is nonalcoholic disease hereditary?
• What is the incidence of end stage liver disease in India?
• Are liver patients more prone to jaundice?
• Is liver dialysis available in India?
• Is fatty liver hereditary and what precautions can one take to avoid it?

The session was enlightening and informative. Close to 150 people attended the online session.

Click here to watch the video.