The liver is of central importance to the entire organism due to its diverse functions in metabolism, its ability to detoxify and excrete, the hepatic formation and inactivation of mediators, and its involvement in non-specific defence mechanisms. Thus, extrahepatic manifestations of liver disease are often decisive for the disease course. In the last few years, knowledge about interaction between the liver and other organs or systems - eg kidneys, GI tract, skeleton, endocrine, haematopoietic and nervous systems - has increased considerably. Thus many extrahepatic manifestations of liver disease can now be better understood and are more accessible to diagnosis and therapy. The IX International Congress on Liver Diseases brought together experts from around the world to give information on developments in this field which are important both for research and clinical work. These proceedings should therefore be of interest to all researchers and clinicians dealing with effects of liver diseases on the entire organism.
