Chronic Liver Disease Flashcards
What are the clinical features of uncomplicated chronic liver disease?
- Palmar erythema
- Dupytren’s
- Loss of axillary hair
- Gynaecomastia
- Spider naevii
How should CLD be presented?
Signs of CLD
- ? Any sign of portal hypertension
- ?any sign of decompensation
- Size of liver - can be large or small in cirrhosis depending on stage
What are the clinical features of portal hypertension? (2)
- Caput medusa
- Splenomegaly
What are the clinical features of chronic liver disease decompensation? (4)
- Jaundice
- Ascites
- Encephalopathy - constuction dyspraxia (can they draw a 5 point star)
- Aterixis
What are the causes of hepatomegaly/chronic liver disease? 3 Cs 4 Is
Cirrhosis - alcoholic or fatty (body size)
Cancer - HCC (cachexia)
Congestive - congestive cardiac failure or Budd-Chiari (look for fluid overload)
Infective - hepatitis
Immune - PSC, PBC, autoimmune
Infiltrative - amyloid or myeloproliferative
Iron - haemochromatosis (tan or slate grey)
alpa 1
methotrexate
Wilson’s
What investigations should be done in CLD/ hepatomegaly? (6)
- Bloods including:
- FBC and U&E
- LFTs (ALT:AST 2:1 - alcohol)
- Clotting
- Iron and ferritin
- Albumin
- Glucose
- AFP for HCC - Hepatitis and HIV screen
- USS liver with doppler - fibroscan and portal vein
- Ascitic tap if iascites
- Liver biopsy - transjugular if ascites present
- Endoscopy
What tests should be done on ascitic fluid? (4)
- Protein:creatinine ratio >1.1g/L
- If raised suggests a systemic cause such as cirrhosis or CCF, Budd Chiari, nephrotic
- If low suggests malignancy, TB or pancreatitis - Cytology can look for malignancy
- WCC >250 = Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis - Amylase can look for pancreatitis
- CS&U for infection
What are the 4 categories for causes of ascites?
- Vascular
- Low albumin
- Peritoneal
- Miscellaneous
What are the 4 vascular causes of ascites?
- Portal hypertension
- Budd-Chiari
- CCF
- Constrictive pericarditis
What are the 2 causes of low albumin ascites?
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Protein losing enteropathy
What are the 3 peritoneal causes of ascites?
- Meig’s syndrome (benign ovaran tumour + ascites + plueral effusion)
- Infection e.g. TB, fungal
- Malignancy (GI, ovarian)
How is ascites managed? (5)
- Fluid restriction
- Diuresis
- Drain (discomfort, CVS compromise)
- TIPs
- Transplant
Which scores can be used to prognositcate cirrhosis? (2)
- Child-Pugh
- MELD (Mortality for End-stage Liver Disease)
What is included int he Child Pugh score? AABIE
AABIE
Ascites
Albumin
Bilirubin
INR
Encephalopathy
What is included in the MELD score?
- Dialysis (2/7) or CVVHD (1/7)
- Creatinine >400
- Bilirubin
- INR
- Sodium