304 Liver disease Flashcards
What does pale stool and dark urine indicate?
Dark urine: Urine becomes dark because of the excessive bilirubin is excreted through the kidneys
Pale stool: suggests an obstructive or post-hepatic/liver cause as normal faeces get their colour from bile pigments
What is PSC?
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
A chronic liver disease in which the bile ducts inside and outside the liver become inflamed and scarred, and are eventually narrowed or blocked
What causes yellow extremities in jaundice?
A build up of bilirubin
- The body breaks down too many red blood cells too fast
-Overproduction of bilirubin if you have a blood disorder Eg. haemolytic anaemia
-Your liver is struggling to process its normal load of bilirubin
What is MRCP?
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography
Used to visualize the biliary and pancreatic ducts non-invasively
How may biliary obstruction cause an increased INR?
Obstruction may cause less bile to be released, vitamin K is fat soluble
So without bile, fat can’t be broken down and vitamin K can’t be released so coagulation factors can’t be activated
How are the different types of hepatitis spread?
-Hep A: faecal-oral transmission
-Hep B: spread by bodily fluids
-Hep C: blood
-Hep D: only affects those already affected by Hep B
-Hep E: faecal-oral transmission
What is ALT?
Released into the serum when hepatocyte membrane permeability is increased, or if there is hepatocellular necrosis
When hepatocytes are damaged
What is Budd Chiari syndrome?
Obstruction of hepatic venous outflow
-May be thrombotic or non-thrombotic anywhere along the venous course from the hepatic venules to junction of the inferior vena cava (IVC) to the right atrium
What is autoimmune hepatitis?
May develop after you’re infected with the measles, herpes simplex or Epstein-Barr virus
Linked to hepatitis A, B or C infection
Which type of hepatitis is slow-progressing?
Hep C
What does asterixis indicate?
Underlying CO2 retention and hepatic encephalopathy
What does ALT indicate?
AKA alanine transaminase
When liver cells are damaged, they release ALT into the bloodstream. High levels of ALT in your blood may be a sign of a liver injury or disease
What can raise gamma-GT?
Drinking alcohol can induce it even without liver disease
What does albumin indicate?
It’s a protein produced by the liver.
Low albumin levels can be a sign of liver or kidney disease (if high in urine) or another medical condition
High levels may be a sign of dehydration
What are Malory Weiss tears?
A tear of the tissue of your lower oesophagus
