Chronic liver disease Flashcards
What is the long term outcome of chronic liver disease?
Progression to cirrhosis
How long is liver disease present for it to be chronic?
> 6 months.
Can be subclinical and acute presentation but the process has been going on for > 6 months
What is the overall pathology of chronic liver disease?
Recurrent inflammation and repiar with fibrosis and regeneration. Balance
What are the capillaries in the liver called and why?
Hepatic sinusoids- much more leaky than normal capillaries to allow proteins to move in and out
What is found in the hepatic triad?
Hepatic portal vein, Hepatic artery and Bile duct
Which cells in the liver are responsible for inflammation and laying down of scar tissue?
Quiescent hepatic stellate cells which once activated become a hepatic myofibroblast and lay down collagen
What can activate hepatic stellate cells?
Hepatocyte kupffer cell (inflammatory cell)
Inflammatory cytokines
Products of damaged cells
What are the consequences of activated hepatic stellate cells?
Increased: Number of HSCs (hepatic stellate cells) TIMPs (tissue inhibators of metaloprotiases) Matrix Decreased: MMPs (matrix metaloproteases)
What normally causes resolution in the liver after acute injury?
The hepatic stellate cells are inactivated and become apoptotic and die.
What leads to chronic liver disease?
If the hepatic stellate cells continue to be activated by tissue inhibatorsof metaloproteases
What are the causes of chronic liver disease? Most common first?
Alcohol NAFLD Hep C Primary bilary cholangitis Autoimmune hepatitis Hep B Haemochromatosis Primary sclerosisng cholangitis Wilsons Disease Alpha 1 anti-trypsin Budd-Chiari Methotraxate
Lots of chronic disease can affect the liver eg Amyloid or sarcoid, but these are not chronic liver disease. Why?
They do not lead to cirrhosis
What is the most common chronic liver disease?
NAFLD- non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
30% of general population.
What can NAFLD progress to?
NASH- non alcoholic steatosis hepatitis.
Inflammation on top of the fat
What causes NAFLD?
Obesity (60% of obese individuals have NAFLD), metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes
How is NAFLD treated?
Lose weigh and improve diet
What are the similarities between NAFLD and alcoholic fatty liver disease?
Histology is identical.
Hep C can also look similar
Which inflammatory cell is associted with fatty liver disease?
Neutrophils
What causes the progression from NAFLD (steatosis- bigign biuld up of triglycerides) to NASH?
1) Oxidative stress (most important) and lipid peroxidation
2) Pro inflammatory cytokine release- TNF alpha generated by hepatocytes
3) Lipopolysaccharide
How is NAFLD (simple steatosis) diagnosed and treated?
USS diagnosis
Treatment = weight loss and exercise.
What are the health consequences of NAFLD?
No liver outcomes
Increased CV risk
How is NASH diagnosed and treated?
Diagnosis = liver biopsy Treatment = weight loss and exercise and other experimental treatments
What are the health consequences of NASH?
Risk of progression to Cirrhosis.
But if addressed with weight loss is reversible
What are the autoimmune liver diseases?
Primary Biliary cholangitis
Auto-immune hepatitis
Primary sclerosing cholangitis
(Alcohol related liver disease and drug reactions have some auto-immune features)
What is Primary biliary cholangitis?
Autoimmune disease due to antimicrobial antibodies. CD4+ T cell mediated which are reactive to M2 target. It results from a slow, progressive destruction of the small bile ducts of the liver, causing bile and other toxins to build up in the liver, a condition called cholestasis.
What is the presentation of Primary biliary cholangitis?
Middle aged women.
Usually incidental finding.
Symptoms = fatigue, itch without rash, xamthalasma and xanthomas (hypercholesterolaemia is a consequence as the liver is not using cholesterol for bile salts)
How is Primary bilary cholangitis diagnosed?
Need 2 of the following:
Positive antimitochondrial antibody (blood test)
Cholestatic LFTs
Liver biopsy
What is the treatment for Primary bilary cholangitis?
Urseo deoxycholic acid- which promotes bile flow through the liver and slows the progression of the disease.
What are the common outcomes for primary biliary cholagitis patients?
Most will not develop symptoms/liver failure
Itch can be problematic.
Those who do develop liver failure will be unfit for transplant because too old but still the 3rd most common cause of transplantation in the UK
How many types of auto immune hepatitis and which demographic is common for each one?
Type 1: Adults (10-20 and 45-70 (>females)
Type 2: Children and young adults (>female)
What is type 1 autoimmune hepatitis associated with?
Autoimmune thyroidits, graves diease and chronic UC
Occasionally with Rheumatiods, systemic sclerosis, SLE, pernicious anaemia
How do type 1 autoimmune hepatitis patients present?
Acute onset of symptoms similar to acute viral hepatitis with jaundice (40%) Hepatomegaly Jaundice Stigmata of chronic liver disease Splenomegaly Elevated AST and ALT Elevated PT Non specific symptoms
How is Type 1 Autoimmune hepatitis diagnosed?
Elevated AST and ALT. Elevated IgG Rule out all other liver disease Presence of autoimmune antibodies Liver Biopsy is needed to confirm diagnosis
What is the hallmark finding of Autoimmune hepatitis?
Interface hepatitis.
Piecemeal necrosis is defined as the appearance of destroyed hepatocytes and lymphocytic infiltration at the interface between the limiting plate of periportal hepatocyte, parenchymal cells and portal tracts
What is the pathogenesis of auto immune hepatitis?
Unknown mechanism. Genetically predisposed (HLA genes) and then environmental triggers ( viruses, toxins and drugs (Nitrofurantoin, diclofenac, statins, oxyphenisatin)
How is autoimmune hepatitis treated?
Corticosteriods
Azithioprine (steroid sparing agent)
If you don’t take steroid you will DIE.
What are the outcomes with autoimmune hepatitis?
40% will develop cirrhosis
=> oesophageal varacies, ascites, encephalopathy.
Up to 20% spontaneous resolution
If you survive the first 2 years your long tem survival is good
What is primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Autoimmune destructive disease of the Large and medium sized bile ducts.
What is the demographic for primary slerosing cholangitis?
More males than females and many also have UC
How is Primary sclerosing cholangitis diagnosed?
Imaging of billary tree
ERCP or MRCP.
See strictuing and dialitation
What is the treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Maintain bile flow, monitor for cholangiocarcinoma and colorectal cancer