Abdo Flashcards
What are the causes of chronic liver disease?
3 commonest: Alcohol, hep B/C and nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis
Others:
Autoimmune: PBC
CHronic hepatitis
Metabolic: haemochromatosis
What are the complications of CLD?
Portal HTN Haemorrhage secondary to varices Ascites SBP Hepatic encephalopathy Hepatorenal syndrome Hepatopulmonary syndrome
WHat are the criteria for grading encephalopathy?
West-Haven criteria
0: clinically normal, small changes to memory
1: Mild confusion, euphoria, depression, short attention, impaired mental tasks
2: Drowsy, lethargy, mild disorientation, inappropriate behaviour
3: Somnolent but rousable with voice, grossly confused
4: comatose
How do you grade cirrhosis?
Modified Child-Pugh system
Looks at bilirubin, albumin, INR, ascites, encephalopathy
How do you classify jaundice?
Pre-hepatic: autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, malaria, SCD
Hepatic: acute viral hepatitis, paracetamol, alcohol
Post-hepatic: gallstones, malignancy
What do you know about hepatorenal syndrome?
Inadequate hepatic breakdown of vasoactive substances leading to excessive renal vasoconstriction. Type 1 develops rapidly and type 2 slowly
Difficult to reverse without hepatic transplantation, diagnosis of exclusion
How do you manage ascites in association with CLD?
No added salt diet Spironolactone Loop diuretics next Therapeutic drainage Radiological procedures such as TIPS but increase risk of encephalopathy Liver transplant
WHat are the causes of ascites
Common: Cirrhosis with portal hypertension Malignancy CCF Nephrotic syndrome
Uncommon: Budd-chiari syndrome Portal vein thrombosis Constrictive pericarditis Malabsorption syndormes Peritoneal mesothelioma TB peritonitis Myoxedema Ovarian disease
What causes ascites formation in CLD?
Relative renal hypoperfusion causes increased renin from juxtaglomerular cells
Renin activates aldosterone
Deficient hepatic metabolism reduces aldosterone and ADH breakdown
Hypoalbuminaemia decreases oncotic pressure
The combination of salt and water retention from hyperaldosteronism and high ADH with high portal pressures causes nelt ultrafiltration of fluid into abdo cavity
How do you distinguish between transudate and exudate in ascites?
SAAG
<11g/L= exudate
>11g/L= transudate
What are the causes of hepatomegaly?
Top 3 causes:
- CCF
- Malignancy
- Lymphoma
Other: malaria, hepatitis, leishmania, sarcoid
What scoring systems may help in evaluation of a patietn presenting with alcoholic hepatitis?
Maddreys discriminant function test
Mayo end stage liver disease score
Glasgow alcoholic hepatitis score
How would you manage a patient with acute alcoholic hepatitis?
Supportive: alcohol abstinence, nutrition adequate, treatment of any infection
Maddreys discrimenant function score >32 indicates treatment with steroids
What are the histological features of alcoholic liver disease?
Hepatic steatosis: accumulation of fat in liver cells (reversible)
Alcoholic hepatitis: acute inflammation and hepatocyte necrosis (reversible)
Hepatic cirrhosis- fibrosis of liver tissue
What clotting factor abnormalities may be assoc with amyloidosis?
Loss of clotting factors IX and X. Also infiltration of amyloid protein contributes to vascular fragility so significant risk of bleeding with percutaneous liver biopsy
What are the common and uncommon causes of isolated splenomegaly?
Common:
- Chronic malaria
- Kala-azar
- Schistosmiasis
- lymphoproliferative disease
Uncommon:
- Feltys disease
- chronic haemolytic anaemia
- IE
- left sided portal hypertension
What is the characteristic chromosomal abnormality in CML?
Philidelphia chromosome
Translocation (9;22)
BCR-ABL protein
Treat imatinib
What is feltys syndrome?
Triad of RA, splenomegaly and neutropenia
COmplications are recurrent infection, hypersplenism- anaemia and thrombocytopenia, skin hyperpigmentation, cutaneous ulceration
Why might the platelet count be reduced in alcoholic liver disease?
Splenomegaly assoc with portal hypertension results in platelet sequestation and thrombocytopenia
Direct toxic effect of alcohol on production
Folate def may contribute
How would you differentiate a renal and splenic mass?
Characeteristics of splenic mass are:
- Dull to percussion
- Not ballotable
- Palpable splenic notch
- Palpating finger cannot get above a splenic mass
What are the common causes of hepatosplenomegaly?
- infective
- myelo/lymphoproliferative diseases
- cirrhosis with portal hypertension
Less common: Wilsons, haemochromatosis, glycogen storage diseases
Worldwide what would be the most common cause of hepatosplenomegaly?
Malaria
Visceral leishmania
Schistosomiasis
What is meant by pre-sinusoidal portal hypertension?
In schistosomiasis it is causes by S.Mansoni and S.Japonicum, the eggs become trapped in portal traps where they cause granulomatous reaction and subsequent fibrosis. Synthetic function of liver maintained
What is the genetic basis of Wilsons disease?
Mutation of adenosine triphosphatase 7b (ATP7B) gene on chromosome 13
AR
Gene is key in transport of copper into secretory pathway for incoperation into copper containing enzymes.
Levels of copper containing enzymes like caerulopasmin decrease
Urinary copper is high
What are the clinical manifestations of Wilsons disease?
GI: chronic active hepatitis, fulminant hepatitis, chronic liver disease
Neuro: tremor, parkinsonism, dysdiadokokinesis, chorea, dystonias, chroeoathetosis, ataxia, epilepsy
Psychiatric: Psycosis, personality change, intellectual impairment
Opthalmological: Kayser Fleisher rings in Descemets membrane, sunflower cataracts
MSK: osteopenia, arthropathy, chondrocalcinosis
Renal: Fanconi syndrome, nephrocalcinosis
Cardiac: cardiomyopathy
Haematological: haemolytic anaemia
What are the biochemical features of Wilsons disease and what are the limitations of these tests?
Low serum caeruloplasmin
High urinary copper
Both copper and caeruloplasmin are acute phase reactants so should be interpreted in context
How might somebody present with PBC?
Asymptomatic
Intense pruritis and lethargy
RUQ pain
easy bruising
Female, age 40-50yrs
What signs would you look for in PBC?
Scratch marks Jaundice Orbital xanthelesmata and skin xanthomas Hepatosplenomegaly signs of CLD Sings of other autoimmune conditions eg systemic sclerosis and autoimmune thyroiditis
What is the natural history of PBC?
Anti mitchondrial antibodies are directed against mitochondrial enzyme complex M2.
AMA is positive in 90%
Disease progression is so slow that often not affected during lifespan but once symptomatic unlikely to survive >2yrs
What treatment options are currently available for PBC?
General measures- alcohol avoidance, fat soluble vitamins ADEK
Ursodeoxycholic acid: reduces cholestasis and improves liver function tests however has little effect on symtpoms/prognosis
Cholestyramide- for itching
Liver transplant