Cirrhosis Flashcards
the following flashcards is going to be on the in class recording for cirrhosis
what is the function of the liver?
(7 things she mentions in class)
metabolizes drugs
( lack of the medication in the body to aid )
produces clotting factors
( bleeding tendencies )
purifies your blood
( focuses on ammonia )
jaundice
( we are not breaking down bilirubin )
amber colored urine
pale colored stool
pruritus - leak out through the skin - bile/salt
- aid with the itching, trim their nails, antihistimaintes for the medication
- oatmeal warm baths
when you have too much ammonia, what happens to our body ?
confusion -> encephalopy
what is cirrhosis ?
end stage liver disease
what are is the patho behind cirrhosis ?
inflammation and necrosis of cells leads to fibrosis
resulting in extensive degeneration and destruction of the liver cells
what are some main/common causes for why patients end up developing cirrhosis ?
hepatitis C
NASH
alcohol
other causes include
- extreme dieting
- malabsorption
- obesity
- environmental factors
- genetic predisposition
what is NASH?
nonalcoholic steatohepatitis?
a really aggravated fatty liver that can result in patients developing cirrhosis
what is biliary cirrhosis ?
associated with blockage of bile ducts or inflammation and obstruction of bile
( gallstones )^
- can be associated with colitis or crohns disease
what is cardiac cirrhosis?
results from long-standing severe right-sided heart failure
- fluid goes to the peripheral, so the organs will enlarge
how are we going to treat cardiac cirrhosis ?
so as she’s talking in the recording, she’s mentioning that we always want to treat the underlying causes, weather the disease is the same for everything.
for cardiac cirrhosis, its our heart that is causing problems to our liver, so we are going to try to treat the right sided heart failure first then treat the resulting pain in the liver after
what are the clinical manifestations you will see in a patient with early stage liver disease?
very few to none
but you will see fatigue and an enlarged liver
what are some later clinical manifestation related to liver failure and portal hypertension?
jaundice
peripheral edema
ascites
skin lesions
hematologic,endocrine, neurologic disorders
liver becomes smaller and nodular
why do patients with cirrhosis end up having jaundice ?
results from decreased ability to conjugate and excrete bilirubin
not only do patients end up with jaundice from the fact that they can’t excrete it, but also from what?
the overgrowth of connective tissue in liver compresses bile ducts
- leading to obstruction and increase in bilirubin in vascular system
why do patients develop skin lesions when they have cirrhosis ?
due to increase in circulating estrogen due to inability of liver to metabolize steroid hormones
- this is very itchy
what are the 2 skin lesions patients with cirrhosis have?
spider angioma
palmar erythema
why are we concerned for patients with cirrhosis when it comes to developing hematologic disorders ?
bone marrow suppression, anemia, and coagulation disorders because the liver can not make clotting factors
why are we concerned for patients with cirrhosis when it comes to developing endocrine disorders ?
describe what happens to men
describe what happens to women
gynecomastia - breast
- loss of axillary and pubic hair, testicular atrophy, impotence and loss of libido
women
- amenorrhea or vaginal bleeding
endocrine disorders can lead to something called hyperaldosteronism in both sexes, meaning what two things?
sodium and water retention
potassium loss
so we understand that cirrhosis is going to cause the patient to experience a lot of clinical manifestation, but as mentioned in the last flashcard, we are going to have a lot of aldosterone in our body. But due to this high aldosterone, it is going to cause us to have potassium loss.
we know that a patient with cirrhosis is at a very high risk for developing acsitits, so normally we are going to want to use a diuretic to treat it, but we know diuretic are potassium wasting. but what is the name of the diuretic we are going to use to help aid this patient ? and its for two reason too.
spirolantone
- potassium sparing
- aids with that aldosterone
why does peripheral neuropathy occur in patients with cirrhosis ?
usually due to the dietary deficiencies of thiamine, folic acid, and cobalamin
(vitamin b12)
remember in tb, how to treat peripheral neuropathy, give them b6 ( pyradixe )
what were the clinical manifestation for these patients that we just talked about ? (5)
jaundice
skin lesions
hematologic disorders
endocrine disorders
peripheral neuropathy
in compensated cirrhosis, so meaning your body and medication is helping you, what complications can you get?
nothing
in decompenstated cirrhosis what are the complications we are going to talk about ? (6)
portal hypertesnion
esophageal & gastric varices
peripheral edema
abdominal ascites
hepatic encephalopathy
hepatorenal syndrome
what is portal hypertension?
obstruction of normal blood flow in and out of the liver
what does an increase portal hypertension mean?
increased venous pressure in portal circulation
splenomegaly - fluid backs up
large collateral veins
ascites
gastric and esophageal varices
what is esophageal varices ?
complex of tortuous, enlarged veins at Lower end of esophagus
and bleed easily
esophageal varies is a life threatening complication, why do you think that is ?
think of the example she was using the recording
lets say you have an esophageal varies, we understand that this is an outpouching of a large vein at the end of your esophagus.
lets say you get food poisoning, and you start vomiting it out, with that vomit, you can pop the vein and cause life threatening bleeding.
remember you also have cirrhosis, so you dont have the clotting factors that you need to stop it, and not to mention, its hard to stop bleeding, deep inside your mouth.
how do you get peripheral edema?
decreased vascular pressure due to decreased albumin production by the liver
how do you get ascites?
accumulation of serous fluid in peritoneal or abdominal cavity