When looking at liver diseases, keep in mind:

• Aetiologic category - Helps you to remember cause and pathogenesis (eg. Vascular; Infectious, Neoplastic etc)
• Cellular/subcellular and hence functional components affected (eg. hepatocytes; bile canaliculi; bile duct epithelium; central veins/sinusoids)

  • Helps to work out morphology (gross and micro)
  • Helps you work out clinical manifestations
  • eg. Alcoholic liver disease ->  abnormal lipid metabolism, free radicals, cytokines ->   steatosis, steatohepatitis ->  necrosis of hepatocytes  (Alcoholic Hepatitis) ->  nodular regeneration of hepatocytes with fibrosis (Cirrhosis) ->  portal hypertension, eventual Liver failure

Here is a video mindmap of some liver diseases according to aetiologic categories.