Hepatic part 2 Flashcards
Excess bilirubin in the ECF is known as
jaundice
large quantities of unconjugated or conjugated bilirubin
Common causes of jaundice include:
increased destruction of RBCs- hemolytic jaundice
obstruction of bile ducts or damage to hepatocytes preventing bilirubin from being excreted- obstructive jaundice
The toxic form of bilirubin to hepatocytes is
conjugated form
In hemolytic jaundice, RBS are
hemolyzed rapidly
- also have increased production of bilirubin by macrophages
- increased unconjugated bilirubin- hepatocytes cannot process all of the bilirubin
When RBCs are hemolyzed rapidly in hemolytic jaundice, it results in an
increase in unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
-but also a secondary increase in conjugated (direct) bilirubin
In hemolytic jaundice, the excretory function of the liver
is not impaired
In hemolytic jaundice, the rate of formation of urobilinogen
in the intestines increases and urinary excretion increases
Obstructive jaundice can be due to
obstruction of the common bile duct (most common)
damage to hepatic cells
Obstruction of the common bile duct in obstructive jaundice can be due to
gallstone & malignancy
Damage to hepatic cells in obstructive jaundice can be a result of
hepatitis
Describe the formation of bilirubin in obstructive jaundice.
Unconjugated bilirubin enters the hepatocytes and is conjugated in the usual way
- the rate of conjugated bilirubin formation is normal but it cannot pass from the liver into the intestines
- the conjugated bilirubin enters the blood probably by rupture of the bile Canaliculi and direct emptying of bile into the lymph system
In obstructive jaundice, most of the bilirubin in the plasma exists in
the conjugated form
Describe the diagnostic differences between hemolytic & obstructive jaundice.
hemolytic jaundice- almost all bilirubin in the plasma is the unconjugated form (AKA free bilirubin)
obstructive jaundice- bilirubin in the plasma is in the conjugated form
In obstructive jaundice, when there is total obstruction of bile flow,
no conjugated bilirubin can reach the intestines to be converted to urobilinogen
no urobilinogen is reabsorbed into the blood and excreted by the kidney- test for urobilinogen in the urine is completely negative
Generally liver function tests are not
very sensitive or specific
Serum transaminase measurements reflect
hepatocellular integrity as apposed to liver function
Tests that measure the livers synthetic function include:
serum albumin
prothrombin time or INR
cholesterol
& pseudocholinesterase
Due to its large functional reserve, lab tests may be
NORMAL in the presence of cirhossis
In order to assess overall liver function,
we must take tests in total as no one tests reflects overall liver function
Liver abnormalities are typically divided into
parenchymal disorders (hepatocellular dysfunction) obstructive disorders (biliary excretion)
Normal total bilirubin is encompassing of
conjugated + unconjugated
is < 1.5 mg/dL
reflects the balance between production and biliary excretion
Jaundice is usually clinically evident when the total bilirubin is
> 3.0 mg/dL
A predominantly conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is associated with
an increased urobilinogen & may reflect: intrahepatic cholestasis, extrahepatic biliary obstruction
both of these may lead to hepatocellular dysfunction
_________ is toxic to cells
conjugated bilirubin; unconjugated is not
A primary unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia may be seen with
hemolysis, congenital, or acquired defects in bilirubin conjugation
Serum aminotransferases are enzymes released in the circulation as a result of
hepatocellular injury
Two commonly measured serum aminotransferases include
aspartate aminotransferase (AST) Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
Aspartate aminotransferase is present in
many tissues in addition to the liver (non-specific)
heart, skeletal muscle, & kidneys
Alanine aminotransferase is present in
the liver (more specific than AST)
Normal AST & ALT levels are
below 35 to 45 IU/L
Mild elevations in AST & ALT are seen with
cholestasis or metastatic disease
Absolute levels of AST & ALT are
of value in acute liver disease- drug OD, ischemic injury, fulminant hepatitis
poorly correlate with the degree of hepatic injury in chronic liver disease
Serum alkaline phosphatase is produced in
the liver bone, small bowel, kidneys, and placenta and is excreted into the bile
Most of the circulating alkaline phosphate comes from
bone
In the presence of biliary obstruction, alkaline phosphate
(More of it) is synthesized and released into the circulation
Elevations up to 2x normal of serum alkaline phosphatase are associated with
hepatocellular injury or hepatic metastatic disease
Higher elevations of serum alkaline phosphatase are indicative of
intrahepatic cholestasis & biliary obstruction
Serum albumin half life is
long and therefore its value may initially be normal with acute liver disease
Serum albumin values <2.5 are generally indicative of
chronic liver disease, acute stress, & malnutrition
Hypoalbuminemia can also occur due to increase loss of albumin via the
GI tract (enteropathy with protein loss) in the urine (nephrotic syndrome)
Increased ammonia in the blood usually reflects
disruption of hepatic urea synthesis
Marked elevations of blood ammonia usually reflect
severe hepatocellular damage
A PT of > 3 to 4 seconds from control
is considered significant & corresponds to an INR of 1.5
PT measures the activity of
fibrinogen, Factor II (prothrombin), factor V, factor VII, & factor X