Liver Flashcards
____ returns deoxygenated blood from the liver to the heart
hepatic vein
____ supplies oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the liver
hepatic artery
____ carries nutrient-rich blood from the digestive tract to the liver
portal vein
_____ transport absorbed nutrients to the portal vein
GI tract veins
What are 3 roles of hepatocytes?
- metabolism
- detoxification of drugs, vitamins, hormones
- biochemical oxidation reactions
The liver has a huge functional reserve - ___ % of liver cells must be injured before physiological dysfunction happens
80-90%
what are 5 roles of the liver?
- flood filtration/detoxification
- glycogen storage and gluconeogenesis
- deamination and transamination of proteins
- cholesterol synthesis (makes cholesterol and bile)
- stores up to 400 mL of blood
Lipid, carb, protein metabolism
the liver receives blood from:
- hepatic artery - gives the liver O2
- hepatic portal vein - venous blood goes to liver for nutrient processing
blood leaves liver from:
the hepatic vein (it goes back to the heart for reoxygenation)
_____ takes deoxygenated blood back ot the heart
hepatic vein
how much bile does the liver synthesize each day?
600-1000 mL (but the gall bladder can only store 40 mL of bile at a time)
what is biles main role?
it breaks down fat
what are 6 common causes of acute liver failure?
- trauma
- injury
- toxins (alcohol, poison)
- tylenol
- obesity (NAFLD)
- infection (viral - hep A)
what is acute liver failure?
rapid deterioration of liver function in 26 weeks
there has been an increased prevalence of chronic liver disease due to 2 epidemics:
hep C
NAFLD/NASH
what is hemochromoatosis?
body cant clear iron - you have too much of it
What types of tests are done to assess liver?
- ultrasound (most common)
- bloodwork (most common)
- fibroscan (for more severe)
- MRI
- CT
- elastography
- liver function test
what type of labs should be investigated for liver disease?
- serum bilirubin - this is produced during the normal breakdown of RBCs. it passes through the liver and gets excreted in stool.
- urine bilirubin - in liver disease, bilirubin can leak into the urine
- total protein with albumin - albumin is produced in the liver and can help us figure out nutrition parameters if someone is malnourished
- prothrombin time and international normalized ration - if the liver is impaired, it doesnt produce enough prothrombin. cant clot properly
What are important reference ranges?
ALT < 63
AST < 37
ALP < 136
Bilirubin < 9
GGT < 85
INR (prothrombin time) < 1.1
What is hepatitis?
inflammation of the liver
it is caused by a virus, bacteria, toxin, obstruction, or parasite
what are 5 causes of hepatitis?
- virus
- bacteria
- toxin
- obstruction
- parasite
viral hepatitis is caused by 5 viruses:
A, B, C, D, E
What are 5 manifestations of hepatitis?
- jaundice
- dark urine
- anorexia
- fatigue
- fever
- enlarged liver/spleen
How does Hep A get transmitted?
fecal-oral route
contaminated drinking water
food
sewage
It rarely causes liver damage.
What do yo do for it? rest, nutrition, and fluid
How does hep b (HPV) get transmitted?
blood transfusion
blood
semen
saliva
bodily fluids
improper sterilization of instruments (dental drills)
what is the difference between acute and chronic HBV?
acute:
-1-2% will develop into chronic HBV
- some immunoglobulins can be given within 1st week
chronic
- 5% of cases
- medications
- development of cirrhosis, liver cancer (20%)
- irreversible, can lead to liver failure
can live a long life with hep b. slow to evolve
what are common causes of Hep C (HCV)?
- cirrhosis
- hepatocellular cancer
what is the leading cause of liver transplantation?
hep c
What are major risk factors of hep c?
- blood transfusion before 1992
- frequent exposure to blood products
- injection drug use
- tattoo
- maternal-infant transmission
- high risk sexual behaviour
what is the worldwide prevalence of hep c?
1-4% - there is no vaccine to prevent it
75% of hep c infections will turn chronic - need medication
what are 5 major symptoms of hepatitis?
- fatigue
- nausea/vomiting
- ab pain
- loss of appetite
- dark urine
- clay-coloured poop
- join pain
- jaundice
what are the primary nutrition concerns with viral hepatitis?
- weight loss
- nausea and anorexia
- drug / nutrient interaction (immunosuppresants, antivirals, ppis)
what are 4 nutrition interventions for viral hep?
- avoid alcohol
- energy dense foods for anorexia
- gi symptom management
- medical side effect management
____ is a form of toxic livery injury associated with chronic ethanol consumption
Alcoholic liver disease
alcoholic liver disease is a form of toxic liver injury associated with chronic ethanol consumption. It is made up of 3 disorders:
- fatty liver (hepatic steatosis)
- alcoholic hepatitis (more inflammation, scarring, reduced blood flow)
- cirrhosis (life threatening)
what are clinical presentations of ALD?
- jaundice
- hepatomegaly
- ascites (fluid retention in ab cavity in advanced cases. body cant produce enough protein to regulate fluid levels)
- hepatic encephalopathy (neuropsych abnormalities)
what is the threshold for alcoholic drinks at which people ALD may develop?
- males - 4 drinks (40 g)
- females - 2 drinks (20 g)
fatty liver (stage 1) can occur in most people who abuse alcohol for more than 6 days
what are 3 stages of liver damage?
- fatty liver - deposits of fat lead to liver enlargement
- liver fibrosis - scar tissues forms
- cirrhosis - growth of connective tissue destroys liver cells
what is steatohepatitis?
fatty liver
what are some signs of fatty liver (steatohepatitis)? aka stage 1 of ALD
- hepatomegaly
- increased GGT
- increased AST
- increased ALT
need to stop alcohol intake
what is the cause of stage 1 of ALD (fatty liver)?
increased availability of fatty acids in the liver due to decreased degradation of fatty acids/decreased fatty acid oxidation
increased uptake of fatty acids from trigs
decreased lipoprotein biosynthesis and secretion
liver cell necrosis (cell death) and increased fibrous scar tissue begins at which stage of ALD?
stage 2 - alcoholic hepatitis