Lecture 3- Hepatic Disease Flashcards
Where is the liver located?
upper right quadrant
Largest internal organ:
liver
Describe the blood supply to the liver:
Dual supply
~20% hepatic artery
~80% portal vein
The hepatic artery delivers:
oxygenated blood
The portal vein delivers:
nutrients
Left and right hepatic ducts form the:
common hepatic duct
The common hepatic duct is responsible for:
draining bile from liver and transports wastes from the liver and aids in digestion (by releasing bile)
Carries bile from the liver and the gallbladder thorough the pancreas and into the duodenum:
Common bile duct
Where does the common bile duct carry bile? (pathway)
- liver
- gallbladder
- pancreas
- duodenum
The common bile duct is part of the:
biliary duct system
The biliary duct system is formed where:
the ducts from the liver and gallbladder are joined
Where the ducts and liver and gallbladder join:
biliary duct system (common bile duct is part of this)
the hepatic portal vein goes from the ___ to the ___
GI system to the liver
Drains venous blood from liver to inferior vena cava and on to the right:
hepatic veins
Provides oxygen and nutrition to liver tissues:
hepatic artery
Delivers substances absorbed by the GI tract (stomach, intestine, spleen, & pancreas) for metabolic conversion and/or removal in the liver:
hepatic portal vein
Cells of the liver=
hepatocytes
What is the function of the hepatocytes?
synthesize proteins
Hepatocytes are responsible for synthesizing proteins such as:
- immunoglobulins
- albumin
- coagulation factors
- carrier proteins
- growth factors
- hormones
In addition to synthesizing proteins, hepatocytes also synthesize:
bilirubin
Made from the breakdown of RBCs:
bilirubin
How is bilirubin transported to the liver?
by being bound to albumin in its unconjugated form
considered the unconjugated form of bilirubin:
bilirubin bound to albumin
The liver conjugates bilirubin by unbinding the protein (albumin) & binding it to ____
glucose
Bilirubin + albumin =
Bilirubin + glucose =
UNconjugated form
conjugated form
The hepatocytes produce bile for:
digestion
The hepatocytes produce ____ for fat storage
cholesterol
Bilirubin levels can escalate from:
- blood disorders
- chronic liver disease
- blockage of bile ducts
- Hepatitis (etoH, viral, drug induced)
- cirrhosis
Blood disorders that increase bilirubin levels include:
- hemolytic anemia
- sickle cell anemia
- inadequate transfusions
Increased bilirubin results in:
- jaundice
- fatigue
- cutaneous itch
- discolored urine
- discolored feces
A function of hepatocytes is to regulate ____.
nutrients
Which nutrients are the hepatocytes responsible for regulating?
- glucose
- glycogen
- lipids
- amino acids
Hepatocytes prepare ___ for excretion
drugs
Responsible for drug conjugation and metabolism:
hepatocytes
Types of liver damage include:
- hepatocellular (infiammation and injury)
- cholestatic (obstructive)
- mixed
- cirrhosis (fibrotic, end-stage), acute or crhonic
- neoplastic
Damage of the liver caused by inflammation & injury:
hepatocellular
Damage to the liver caused by obstruction:
cholesstatic
Fibrotic or end-stage liver damage that may be acute or chronic:
cirrhosis
Scarring of the liver in which you start losing hepatocytes:
cirrhosis
T/F: Hepatocellular carcinoma may be an increased risk in patients who have had many viral diseases
true
Signs of liver diseases include:
- jaundice
- ascites
- edema
- GI bleed
- dark urine
- light stool
- mental confusion
- xanthelasma
- spider angiomas
- palmar erythema
- asaterixis
- hyperpigmentation
Symptoms of liver disease include:
- appetite loss
- bloating
- nausea
- RUQ pain
- fatigue
- mental confusion
What is both a sign and symptoms of liver disease?
mental confusion
What is seen in the following image?
Fatty cholesterol deposits in the skin that is a good indicator the patient has some sort of liver disease
xanthelasma
What is seen in the following image?
spider angiomas
Capillary fragility seen in the skin due to lack of clotting factors; increased peripheral endothelial vasculature:
spider angiomas
When liver is not metabolizing ammonia from the body, (usually converts ammonia to ammonium so it can be excreted), the ammonia builds up, getting to the brain and causes:
asterixis
Asterixis is also known as:
flapping tremor
What is a classic sing of hepatic encephalopathy (HE)
asterixis
Described asterixis:
jerky movements when the hands are extended at wrists
What can be seen in the following image?
asterixis
Sign associated with poor ammonium metabolism:
Asterixis
A syndrome of altered neurologic function related to dysregulation of metabolism seen almost exclusively in patient with severe liver disease:
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE)
HE can be a chronic problem in patients with ___, managed medically to varying degrees of success, punctuated with occasion exacerbations
cirrhosis
T/F: Although acute exacerbations of HE are rarely fatal, they are a frequent cause of hospitalizations among patients with cirrhosis
True
What are some blood test that determine general liver function:
- CBC
- CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel)
List some SPECIFIC liver function tests:
- lipid panel
- VDRL
- PSA (prostate specific antigen)
- SARS antigen & antibody
- HIV
- HEP B
- Bleeding times
Test that evaluates the cells that circulate in the blood:
CBC
What cells are evaluated on a CBC?
- RBCs
- WBCs
- PLTs
A CBC is an indicator of:
overall health
A CBC may detect a variety of diseases and conditions including:
- infection
- anemia
- leukemia
- lymphoma
- neutropenia
CMP:
Comprehensive metabolic panel
A CMP may also be called:
chemical screen or SMAC 14 (sequential multiple analysis - computer)
A CMP consists of ___ blood tests which serve as:
14 blood tests; initial broad medical screening tool
A CMP includes:
- general tests
- kidney function assessment
- electrolytes
- protein tests
- liver function assessment
Why are CMPs (chemical screen/SMACs) a good general test for the patients overall health?
Because they look at multiple organ systems
In terms of assessing liver function, the following proteins are good indicators of liver health:
- bilirubin
- alkaline phosphatase (ALP)
- Transaminases
- albumin
- globlulin
Bilirubin is a product of:
heme breakdown
Increased total bilirubin = increased:
severity of liver injury
bilirubin that is insoluble, bound to albumin, not filtered by kidney:
unconjugated (indirect)
T/F: With unconjugated bilirubin, increased SERUM is not really indicative or liver disease
True
Form of bilirubin that indicates hemolysis, ineffective erythropoiesis (thalassemia, vitamin B deficiency, Gilbert syndrome)
unconjugated (indirect)
T/F: With conjugated bilirubin, increased SERUM levels is NOT really indicative of liver disease
False- this is indicative of liver disease
The form of bilirubin that is water soluble and excreted by the kidney:
conjugated (direct)
All ____ bilirubin is conjugated
urine
A protein involved with bone metabolism that is not specific to liver disease but may indicate cholestatic disease
Alkaline phosphatase (high)
This protein is altered in multiple disease conditions, but especially bone neoplasms:
alkaline phosphatases
AST, ALT, and GGT are all:
transaminases (liver enzymes) needed for protein synthesis & specific to liver function
High levels of transaminases (AST, ALT, GGT) indicates:
damage to hepatocytes from hepatocellular disease
T/F: High levels of transaminases (AST, ALT, GGT) are individually proportionally reflective of severity of liver damage
False- not individually proportionally reflective
What transaminase is more indicative of cholestatic disease (blockage) and alcoholic liver disease?
GGT
AST: ALT ratios are more informative; the ____ the ratio, there specific an indicator of hepatic disease
lower