liver Flashcards
What is the most common cause of acute liver disease?
paracetamol overdose
What are the key presentations of acute liver disease?
jaundice
hepatic encephalopathy
coagulopathy
renal failure
What are the 1st line and gold standard investigations for acute liver disease?
LFTs - hyperbilirubinaemia + raised liver enzymes
INR >1.5
What is the 1st line care for all patients with acute liver disease?
ICU monitoring + liver transplant assessment
What is the treatment for paracetamol overdose?
acetyl cysteine
what is the treatment for herpes simplex hepatitis?
aciclovir
What is the treatment for hep b?
oral nucleoside (adefovir/telbivudine)
What is the treatment for autoimmune hepatitis?
methylprednisolone
What are the two ways in which alcohol is broken down by the liver?
alcohol dehydrogenase (leads to NADH production which increases fatty acid oxidation)
cytochrome P450 ( generates free radicals through oxidation of NADPH)
What are the key presentations of alcoholic liver disease?
abdo pain
hepatomegaly
What are the first line investigations for alcoholic liver disease?
aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
AST:ALT
FBC
What is the gold standard investigation for alcoholic liver disease?
liver biopsy
What is the 1st line treatment for alcoholic liver disease?
alcohol abstinence
liverstyle factors
ADJUNCT - corticosteroids + sodium restriction (diuretics)
What is the key mechanism for hepatic steatosis?
insulin resistance - triglyceride accumulation in the liver
What are the key presentations of non alcoholic fatty liver disease?
absence of alcohol misuse
fatigue + malaise
hepatosplenomegaly
truncal obesity
jaundice
What is fetor hepaticus?
The characteristic breath of patients with liver disease - garlic/rotten eggs
What are the first line investigations for hepatic steatosis?
aspartate aminotransferase AST, alanine aminotransferase ALT, AST:ALT
FBC
What is the gold standard test for hepatic steatosis?
diagnosed by exclusion + histology (biopsy)
What is the 1st line management for hepatic steatosis?
lifestyle modification + insulin sensitiser (thiazolidinediones) in DM
What is the 2nd line treatment for hepatic steatosis?
transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)
What are the key presentations of hepatitis?
abdo pain (RUQ)
fatigue
pruritis
jaundice
nausea/vomiting
anorexia
fever
How is hep a transmitted?
faecal-oral route - contaminated water/food
What are the 1st line investigations for hepatitis?
serum transaminases (AST/ALT) (high)
INR
bilirubin (high)
What is the treatment for a patient with recent exposure to hep A?
hep a vaccination and/or immunoglobulin
What is the treatment for confirmed hep A infection?
supportive care, often goes away on its own
w/ worsening jaundice and encephalopathy-> liver transplant
How is hep b transmitted?
blood products, sexually
vertical transmission (mother to baby)
What proportion of people infected with hep b become carriers? (HBV DNA integrates with patients)
10%
What is the gold standard investigation for hep b?
serum HBV DNA
What is the 1st line treatment for an acute hep b infection?
supportive care
ADJUNCT - antiviral therapy + assess for liver transplant
What is the 1st line treatment for a chronic hep b infection?
antiviral therapy - tenofovir
What antiviral treatments are used for hep b?
tenofovir, pegylated interferon alpha
What is the 1st line and gold standard investigation for hep c?
hepatitis C virus (HCV) - RNA PCR
What are the complications of hep C?
cirrhosis
hepatocellular carcinoma
What is the treatment for hep C?
direct acting antiviral (DAAs) - ribavirin
+ protease inhibitors - ritonavir
What must patients be infected with to have Hep D?
HBV infection
What is the gold standard investigation for Hep D?
PCR of hep D RNA
What are the treatments for hep D?
same as hep B
antiviral therapy pegylated interferon alfa, tenofovir)
(liver transplant in liver failure)
How is hep E transmitted?
faecal-oral route
What is the gold standard investigation for Hep E?
PCR of hep E RNA
What is autoimmune hepatitis?
T cells of the immune system attack the liver - cause necrosis and fibrosis
What is the gold standard test for autoimmune hepatitis?
liver biopsy
What is the first line treatment for immune hepatitis?
high dose prednisolone + immunosuppressants (azathioprine)
(liver transplant with advanced liver disease)
Give an example of a drug that can cause liver cirrhosis
amiodarone/methotrexate/methyldopa
What are the four most common causes of cirrhosis
alcoholic liver disease
NAFLD
hep B and C
What are the key presentations of liver cirrhosis?
abdominal distension - ascites
jaundice and pruritus
haematemesis and malena
hand and nail features
What will blood tests show in cirrhosis?
can often be normal
in decompensated cirrhosis:
Liver enzymes and bilirubin raised
What are the best serum indicators of liver function?
prothrombin time and albumin
What scan tests liver elasticity and can diagnose cirrhosis?
Fibroscan
What score is used to assess the severity of cirrhosis?
Child-Pugh score
What is the gold standard investigation for liver cirrhosis?
liver biopsy
What is the first line treatment for liver cirrhosis?
Treat underlying condition, prevent further hepatic damage
ADJUNCT
sodium restriction
What is the 2nd line treatment for liver cirrhosis?
liver transplantation OR transjugular portosytemic shunt (TIPSS)
What is a transudative ascites?
low protein content ascites
What is exudative ascites?
high protein content ascites
How would you treat ascites?
diuretics - spironolactone + restrict sodium
How would you treat cerebral oedema?
mannitol - decreases ICP
How would you treat bleeding in liver cirrhosis?
vitamin K or fresh frozen plasma (FFP)
How does cirrhosis cause encephalopathy?
ammonia is not detoxified or bypasses the liver
How would you treat encephalopathy?
laxatives - lactulose (decreases ammonia), abx (rifamaxin) and enemas
What would you give for hypoglycaemia in liver cirrhosis?
dextrose
What are varices?
a result of portal hypertension that results in swelling of the anastomoses between the portal system and systemic venous system
what medication can be used to help stable varices?
propanolol
What surgical technique can relieve pressure on varices?
TIPS (transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt)
How would you treat bleeding oesophageal varices?
vasopressin analogues - terlipressin
Vit K or fresh frozen plasma
prophylactic borad spectrum antibiotics
What complication can occur in patients with ascites secondary to liver cirrhosis?
spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
How is spontaneous bacterial peritonitis treated?
IV cephalosporin - cefotaxime
What are the most common organisms to to cause spontaneous bacterial peritonitis?
e. coli
gram postive cocci (staphylococci/enterococcus)
What is a pre-hepatic cause of portal hypertension?
thrombosis (portal or splenic vein)
What is an intrahepatic cause of portal hypertension?
cirrhosis mainly
schistosomiasis (common worldwide)
What is hepatorenal syndrome?
loss of blood supply to the kidney because of pooling in the portal vessels
What is a post-hepatic cause of portal hypertension?
Budd-chiari syndrome, right heart failure, veno-occlusive disease
What are the signs of portal hypertension?
depends on underlying cause
ascites
splenomegaly
signs of hepatic encephalopathy
jaundice
What are the gold standard investigations for portal hypertension?
wedged hepatic venous pressure (reflects sinusoidal pressure)
free hepatic venous pressure (reflects systemic venous pressure
pressure gradient
What are some of the treatments for portal hypertension?
treat underlying cause
surgical decompressive shunts
beta blockers
liver transplant
What is the most common cause of ascites?
cirrhosis
What are the key presentations of ascites?
abdominal distension
flank bulging
signs of underlying cause
What are the gold standard tests for ascites?
abdominal ultrasound
SAAG (serum-ascites albumin gradient) >11g/L (indicates portal hypertension)
What drug can be given to control ascites?
spironolactone (aldosterone antagonist)
furosemide if response is poor
What else can be done to treat ascites?
fluid restriction + low salt diet
explain a pre-hepatic cause of jaundice
excessive RBC breakdown - overwhelms the livers ability to conjugate bilirubin
unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia
explain an intra-hepatic cause of jaundice
dysfunction of hepatic cells - stops livers ability to transport conjugated bilirubin into the biliary system
conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia
explain a post-hepatic cause of jaundice
obstruction of the biliary drainage
conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia
What would LFTs show in cholestatic jaundice?
raised ALP/GGT
What would LFTs shoe in hepatocellular jaundice?
raised ALT/AST
What are the risk factors for biliary colic?
5fs
Fat
Female
Fertile
Forty
fair
What causes the formation of gallstones?
an increase in cholesterol and decrease in bile salts and biliary stasis
What are the key presentations of biliary colic?
RUQ pain - intermittent and crampy
worse after fatty foods
nausea and vomiting
What are the first line investigations for biliary colic?
LFTS
CRP
ESR
will all be normal
What is the gold standard test for biliary colic?
abdominal ultrasound
What invasive procedure is used to treat gallstones?
laparoscopic cholecystectomy
What is an alternative to surgery with gallstones?
manage with diet - this is tricky so most will have surgery
What is acalculous cholecystitis?
multiple pathopysiologies - gallbladder stasis, hyperperfusion, infection
What is acute cholecystitis?
fixed obstruction in cystic duct
irritation due to build up of bile
prostaglandin secretion mediates inflammatory respone
What test can differentiate cholecystitis from biliary colic?
FBCs (WBCs)
CRP
ESR
all will be raised, sign of inflammation
What is the first line treatment for cholecystitis?
analgesia, early cholecystectomy
Consider - fluid resus + abx therapy
What is primary biliary cirrhosis?
immune system attack the bile ducts and causes cholestasis
What physical manifestation can raised cholesterol cause?
xanthelasma and xanthomas (cholesterol deposits in skin