Chronic Liver Disease + Hepatitis Flashcards
What liver pathologies come under the umbrella term Chronic liver Disease?
- Chronic Hepatitis
- Liver Cirrhosis
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma
What is Liver Cirrhosis?
Irreversible liver damage involving fibrosis and nodular regeneration
What are the risk factors of Liver Cirrhosis?
- Chronic Hepatitis B or C infection
- Chronic excessive alcohol intake
- Non Alcohol Fatty Liver disease
- Autoimmune liver disease
What are the potential causes of Liver Cirrhosis?
- Chronic HBV or HCV infection
- Chronic alcohol use
- Non-alcohol Fatty liver disease (spectrum of disease ranging from steatosis, NASH, and eventual liver cirrhosis)
- Autoimmune
- Drug induced
What are the clinical features of Liver Cirrhosis?
- Parotid gland swelling
- Gynacosmatia, Spider nevi, Palmar Erythema (excess oestrogen)
- Liver flap (excess ammonia)
- Ascites (potral hypertension)
- Jaundice (increase in unconjugated bilirubin)
- Clubbing
What is the pathophysiology of Liver Cirrhosis?
- Damaging factors cause hepatocyte apoptosis and necrosis
- These affected cells release DAMPs and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)
- DAMPs and ROS lead to activation of Stellate and Kuffer cells
- Activated Stellate cells cause kuffer cells to release cytokines such as TGF and TNF-a
=> Action of TGF:
- TGF acts on Stellate cells causing the release of collagen, increasing the size of the matrix between hepatocytes and the portal system
- This causes portal hypertension resulting in ascites as the fluid is pushed out and portosystemic shunt formation
=> Action of TNF-a:
- Causes T cell and neutrophil recruitment
- Leads to inflammation, necrosis and nodule regeneration
What are the investigations in suspected Liver Cirrhosis?
=> Blood tests
Albumin - low
Unconjugated Bilirubin - High
=> LFTs ALT - High AST - High (but not as high as ALT) ALP - High GLP - High
=> Liver biopsy
=> Transient Elastography
=> Liver Ultrasound
Every 6 months to check for hepatocellular carcinoma
What group of people is transient elastography offered to?
- People with hepatitis C infection
- Men who drink > 50 units per week and Women who drink > 35 units per week and have done for several months
- People diagnosed with alcohol related liver disease
What is the management of Liver Cirrhosis?
=> General management:
- Good nutrition
- Alcohol abstinence
- Avoiding hepatotoxic drugs
=> For ascites:
- Spironolactone
- Fluid restriction
- Low salt diet
- Furosemide if response poor
=> For Hepatitis indued liver cirrhosis:
- Antivirals
- Immunise sexual partners
What is Hepatitis?
Liver damage and inflammation as a result of viral infection
=> Hepatitis viruses:
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis D
- Hepatitis E
What are the risk factors of Hepatitis?
- IV drug users
- Direct sexual contact
- Gender - male
- Alcohol consumption
What are the clinical features of Hepatitis?
- Malaise
- Anorexia
- Arthralgia
- Nausea
- Jaundice
- Hepatosplenomegaly
How are Hepatitis A and E spread, and what are the specific clinical features of Hepatitis A?
- Faeco-oral route
=> Overview of Hepatitis A:
- Incubation period of 2-4 weeks
=> Specific clinical features of Hepatitis A:
- Flu like prodome
- Jaundice
- Hepatosplenomegaly
What type of infections do Hepatitis A and E cause?
Acute
What do Hepatitis A IgM and IgG antibodies indicate if found in the blood?
HAV IgM antibody - Active infection
HAV IgG antibody - Recovery or vaccination
=> People vaccinated:
- People travelling to or going to reside in country where HBC intermediate or high prevalence
- Men who have sex with men
- IV drug users
- Occupational exposure
- People with Chronic Liver Disease
- People with Haemophilia
- People infected with HIV