Liver Flashcards
Give a mneumonic for the surgical seive approach
V : vascular
I : infective
T : traumatic
A : autoimmune
M : metabolic
I : inflammatory
N : neoplastic
Give 4 causes of acute liver failure
- Paracetamol overdose
- Alcohol
- Viral hepatitis (usually A or B)
- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
What are the features of acute liver failure ?
- Jaundice
- Coagulopathy: raised prothrombin time
- Hypoalbuminaemia
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Renal failure is common (‘hepatorenal syndrome’)
what are the 3 stepwise stages of alcoholic liver disease
- Alcoholic fatty liver (hepatic steatosis)
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Cirrhosis
what can be seen histologically in alcoholic hepatitis ?
Mallory bodies
Give 7 findings that suggest alcoholic fatty liver disease has progressed to alcoholic hepatitis
- Painful hepatomegaly
- Neutrophic leukocytosis
- Raised AST and ALT with AST/ALT ratio 2:1.
- Raised ALP
- Raised GGT
- Thrombocytopenia
- Hypoglycaemia
What can be used to treat alcoholic hepatitis ?
- Abstinence
- Glucocorticoids (e.g. prednisolone)
What is seen on bloods once chronic alcohol use has caused cirrhosis ?
Raised bilirubin
How do you calculate the units in an alcoholic drink?
multiply the number of millilitres by the ABV and divide by 1,000
Explain the different symptoms of alcohol withdrawwal experienced at different times
- 6-12 hours: tremor, sweating, headache, craving and anxiety
- 12-24 hours: hallucinations
- 24-48 hours: seizures
- 24-72 hours: delirium tremens
What is used to treat alochol withdrawal ?
Chlordiazepoxide
- Orally
- Reducing regime
- Reduced over 5-7 days.
what does excessive alcohol use cause a deficiency of
Thiamine (B1)
what can thiamine deficiency lead to and how is this prevented ?
- Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome.
- IM or IV pabrinex (high dose B vitamins)
what is seen in wernicke’s encephalopathy ?
- Altered mental state (e.g. confusion)
- Nystagmus
- Opthalmoplegia
- Ataxia
what is seen in korsakoffs syndrome ?
- Memory impairment
- Behavioural changes
- Confabulation
what are the stages of non alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Fibrosis
- Cirrhosis
what are the RF for NAFLD
- Obesity
- T2DM
- Hyperlipidaemia
- HTN
- Smoking
what is found on bloods and examination to first suggest NAFLD
- Examination : hepatomegaly
- Bloods : Raised ALT
Usually asymptomatic
what is used to confirm a fatty liver in NAFLD ?
- Liver USS
- Shows increased echogenicity
what is the first line investigation for assessing fibrosis in somebody with NAFLD?
- Enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) blood test
- 10.51 or above – advanced fibrosis
- Under 10.51 – unlikely advanced fibrosis (NICE recommend rechecking every 3 years in NAFLD)
What does the ELF measure ?
Three markers (HA, PIIINP and TIMP-1)
Once the ELF has confirm advanced fiborsis what is done to assess cirrhosis ?
- Transient elastography (“FibroScan’)
If symptomatic, how dose viral hepatitis present
- Painful hepatomegaly
- Fatigue
- Flu-like illness
- Pruritus
- N&V
- Muscle joints and aches
- Jaundice
- Dark urine
What are the signs of viral hepatitis ?
- Raised AST & ALT with»_space;»ALT.
- Rise in bilirubin = jaundice
- Atypical lymphocytosis
Hepatitis A - type, transmission, vaccine, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, can it cause chronic hepatitis ?
- RNA
- Faecal-oral (usually contaminated water)
- +ve vaccine
- Presentation : flue like prodrome, RUQ pain, tender hepatomegaly jaundice, derrangved LFTs
- IgM antibodies for diagnosis = active infection.
- Supportive
- Does NOT cause chronic disease.
Hepatitis B - type, transmission, presentation, vaccine, management, can it cause chronic hepatitis ?
- DNA
- Blood / bodily fluids
- fever, jaudince and elevated transaminases
- +ve vaccine
- Supportive / antivirals
- 5-15% develop chronic disease
what hepatitis b serology would suggest previous vaccination?
Anti-HBs positive but all other serology negative
What hepatitis B serology suggest active infection ?
- HBsAg -> surface antigen (either acute or chronic if present >6mnths)
If active hepatitis infection, what further testing is perfomed
- E antigen (HBeAg) : marker of viral replication and implies high infectivity
- Hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV DNA) : direct count of viral load
what is used to distinguish acute, chronic and past infections ?
- Core antibodies (HBcAb)
Explain how core antibodies distinguish between acute, chronic and past infections
- Acute : IgM high titre
- Chronic : IgM low titre
- Past : IgG core antibodies but HBsAg is negative
Give 6 complications of hepatitis B
- Chronic hepatitis : ‘ground glass’ hepatocytes on light microscopy.
- Fulminant liver failure
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Glomerulonephritis
- Polyarteritis nodosa
- Cryoglobulinaemia
Hepatitis C - type, transmission, vaccine, treatment, can it cause chronic hepatitis ?
- RNA
- Blood and body fluids
- No vaccine
- Treated with direct acting antiviral (sofosbuvir, daclatasir).
- Majority will develop chronic hepatitis without treatment
Testing for acute hep C infection
- Hepatitis C RNA
Give 2 important complications of chronic hepatitis C
- Liver cirrhosis
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatitis D - type, diagnosis, treatment
ONLY EXISTS ALONGSIDE HEPATITIS B
- RNA
- PCR reaction of hepatitis D RNA
- Treatment : pegylated interferon alpha
Hepatitis E : type, transmission, vaccine and can it cause chronic hepatitis ?
- RNA
- Faecal-oral route
- No vaccine
- Does not cause chronic disease
Who is affected by type I autoimmune hepatitis ?
- Both adults and children
- Mainly older women, after menopause
Who is affected by Type II autoimmune hepatitis
- Children only
- Girls > boys
What antibodies are seen in type I autoimmune hepatitis ?
- Anti-nuclear (ANA)
- Anti-smooth muscle (anti-actin)
what antibodies are seen in type II autoimmune hepatitis ?
- Anti-liver/kidney microsomeal type I antibodiers (anti-LKM-1)
what is seen on liver biopsy in autoimmune hepatitis ?
- Inflammation extending beyond the limiting plate “piecemeal necrosis’
- Bridging necrosis
How will autoimmune hepatitis type II present in a question
Children, acute hepatitis (fever, jaudice) with high transaminases and jaundice
How is autoimmune hepatitis managed ?
- High dose steroids (prednisolone)
- Immunosuppressants (e.g. azathioprine)
- Liver transplant in end stage liver disease
what is ischaemic hepatitis
- Diffuse hepatic injury following hypoperfusion.
- Usually an inciting event (e.g. cardiac arrest) followed by marked increases in aminotransferase levels
Give the 4 most common causes of liver cirrhosis
- Alcohol-related liver disease
- NAFLD
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
What would be seen on an USS in liver cirrhosis
- Nodularity of the surface
- Corkscrew appearance to hepatic arteries
- Enlarged portal vein with reduced flow
- Ascites
- Splenomegaly
How are complications of liver cirrhosis monitored ?
- MELD every 6mnths
- Endoscopy for varices every 3 years
- USS and alpha-fetoprotein every 6 mnths for hepatocellular carcinoma
What scoring system is used every 6 mnths in those with compensated liver cirrhosis and what does it look at ?
- MELD score
- Bilirubin, creatinine , INR and sodium
- Gives estimated 3-mnth mortality as a percentage
what score uses 5 factors to assess severity of cirrhosis and prognosis and what are they ?
- Child-Pugh score
ABCDE - A : Albumin
- B : Bilirubin
- C : Clotting (INR)
- D : Dilation (ascites)
- E : Encephalopathy
<7 = A, 7-9 = B, >9 = C
When is liver transplantation considered in those with liver cirrhosis
When there are signs of decompensation
A : ascites
H : hepatic encephalopathy
O : Oesophageal varices bleeding
Y : yellow (jaundice)
Give 6 important complications of liver cirrhosis
- Malnutrition and muscle wasting
- Portal hypertension and oesophageal varices (+/- bleeding).
- Ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- Hepatorenal syndrome
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
Why does liver cirrhosis result in portal hypertension and varices
- Liver cirrhosis increases resistance to blood flow from the portal vein
- This increases back pressure on the portal system = portal hypertension
- This causes veins to swell at sites where collaterals form.
If identified on endoscopy, what is done to prevent varices bleeding ?
- 1st line = propanolol
- EVL : endoscopic variceal band ligation
Explain the steps to managed variceal bleeding
- Call for help
- ABCDE
- Consider blood transfusion (active major haemorrhage protocol)
- Correct clotting : FFP
- Vasopressive agents (IV terlipressin)
- Prophylactic IV broad spec Abx
- Urgent endoscopy with variceal band ligation
what are two other options for uncontrolled bleeding in oesophageal varices ?
- Sengstaken-Blakemore tube
- Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) : connects hepatic vein to portal vein to relieve pressure on the portal system
Explain the blood flow to the liver
- 30% from the
common hepatic artery : celiac trunk at T12 branches into the common hepatic artery before forming the proper hepatic and then right and left hepatic arteries - 70% (deoxygenated) from the portal vein : formed from the splenic veins and the superior mesenteric veins
Fwhy does liver cirrhosis cause ascites ?
- The increased pressure in the portal system caused by the increased resistance to flow causes fluid to leak out of the capillaries in the liver and other abdo organs into the peritoneal cavity.
Give the 6 management options of ascites caused by liver cirrhosis
- Low sodium diet
- Aldosterone antagonists (spironolactone).
- Paracentesis
- Prophylactic Abx (ciproflaxacin) if <15g/litre of protein in ascitic fluid
- TIPS in refractory ascites
- Liver transplant in refractory ascites
What is spontaneous bacterial peritonitis ?
Form of peritonitis seen in patients with ascites caused by liver cirrhosis
what are the 3 features of SBP
- Ascites
- Fever
- Abdo pain