Liver and Friends Flashcards
What are the functions of the liver?
- Protein synthesis
- Glucose and fat metabolism
- Defence against infection
- Detoxification
- Excretion
What vitamins can the liver absorb?
A, D, E, K
What is needed to digest fat and absorb vitamins?
Bile
What is the function of Kupffer cells?
Remove senescent cells and particulates
What are the results of acute liver injury?
- Recovery
2. Liver failure
What are the results of chronic liver failure?
- Recovery
- Cirrhosis
- Liver failure
- Varices
- Hepatoma
What classifies chronic liver disease?
Persistent injury >6 months
What is the commonest cause of acute liver injury?
Inflammation
Give 4 causes of acute liver injury
- Viral e.g. Hep A
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Obstruction
Give 4 causes of chronic liver injury
- Alcohol
- Viral e.g. Hep C
- Autoimmune
- Metabolic
Give 5 symptoms of acute liver injury
- Malaise
- Nausea
- Anorexia
- Jaundice
- Confusion
Give 5 symptoms of chronic liver injury
- Ascites
- Oedema
- Haematemesis
- Anorexia
- Itching
What is checked in LFTs?
- Serum bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time
2. Serum liver enzymes
What enzymes are used as markers of liver injury?
AST and ALT
What causes jaundice?
Raised serum bilirubin
What can jaundice be classified into?
- Unconjugated (pre-hepatic)
2. Conjugated (hepatic and post-hepatic)
What can cause pre-hepatic jaundice?
- Haemolysis
2. Gilberts
What can cause hepatic jaundice?
- Hepatitis
- Ischaemia
- Neoplasm
- Congestion
What can cause post-hepatic jaundice?
- Gallstone
2. Stricture
How would a pre-hepatic pt. present?
- Normal urine
- Normal stools
- No itching
- Normal LFTs
How would a conjugated pt. present?
- Dark urine
- Pale stools
- Itching
- Abnormal LFTs
What other symptoms may be present in jaundice pt.?
- Biliary pain
- Rigors
- Abdomen swelling
- Weight loss
What tests are done in jaundice?
- LFT: high AST/ALT
- USS: dilated ducts
- CT
- MRCP
- ERCP
What are gallstones made of?
70% cholesterol, 30% pigment +/- Ca
What are the risk factors for gallstones?
4 Fs
- Female
- Fat
- Fertile
- 50
What are the classes of gallstone?
- Intrahepatic bile duct stones
- Extrahepatic bile duct stones
- Gallbladder stones
What is the presentation in gallbladder stones?
- Biliary pain
- Cholecystitis
- Obstructive jaundice
What is the presentation in bile duct stones?
- Biliary pain
- Obstructive jaundice
- Cholangitis
- Pancreatitis
What is the Rx for gallbladder stones?
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
2. Bile acid dissolution therapy
What is the Rx for bile duct stones?
- ERCP with sphincterotomy and removal crushing stent placement
- Surgery
What are the types of drug induced liver injury (DILI)?
- Hepatocellular
- Cholestatic
- Mixed
What is the onset time course in DILI?
- 1-12 weeks from starting
- Earlier is unusual
- May be several weeks after stopping
What is the resolution time course in DILI?
- 90% within 3m of stopping
2. 5-10% prolonged
What drugs often cause DILI?
- Antibiotics
- CNS drugs
- Immunosuppressants
- Analgesics/MSK
- GI drugs
- Dietary supplements
- Multiple drugs
What % of DILI cases are caused by paracetamol?
50%
What prevents toxic metabolites to be produced in paracetamol metabolism?
Glutathione conjugation
What is seen in paracetamol OD?
- Glutathione depletion
- Toxic metabolite increase
- Hepatocyte damage
What is the Rx for paracetamol induced fulminant hepatic failure?
- N acetyl cysteine
2. Supportive to correct
What are the complications of paracetamol OD?
- Coagulation defects
- Fluid electrolyte and acid base balance
- Renal failure
- Hypoglycaemia
- Encephalopathy
What are the severity indicators for paracetamol induced liver failure?
- Late presentation
- Acidosis
- Prothrombin time >70s
- Serum creatinine >300 umol/L
What are the causes of ascites?
- Chronic liver disease
- Neoplasia
- Pancreatitis
- Cardiac causes
What can present with chronic liver disease to cause ascites?
- Portal vein thrombosis
- Hepatoma
- TB
What causes portal HTN?
- Increased intrahepatic resistance
2. Systemic vasodilation
What can cause ascites?
- Portal HTN
2. Low serum albumin
What can systemic vasodilation result in?
- Secretion of renin-angiotensin, NA, vasopressin
2. Fluid retention
What is Rx for ascites?
- Fluid and salt retention
- Diuretics
- Large volume paracentesis and albumin
- Trans-jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
What does acute alcohol-related injury cause?
Hepatocyte ballooning mediated by neutrophils
What is steatosis?
Fat accumulation within hepatocytes
What can fatty liver cause?
- Alcoholic hepatitis
2. Cirrhosis
What is the main cause of liver death in UK?
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD)
What is the prognosis for ALD?
10 year survival 25%
What is the Rx for ALD?
- Spironolactone
- Gastroscopy and rubber bands on varices
- Terlipressin
What are the consequences of ALD?
- Haematemesis
- Blood/plasma resuscitation
- Varices
What causes portal HTN?
- Cirrhosis
- Fibrosis
- Portal vein thrombosis
What is the pathophysiology of portal HTN?
- Increased hepatic resistance
2. Increased splanchnic blood flow
What are the consequences of portal HTN?
- Varices
2. Splenomegaly
What is the Rx for alcohol withdrawal?
Lorazepam
Why do pt. with chronic liver disease deteriorate?
- Constipation
- Drugs
- GI bleed
- Infection
- High ion count
- Alcohol withdrawal
Why are liver pt. vulnerable to infection?
- Impaired reticuloendothelial function
- Reduced opsonic activity
- Leucocyte function
- Permeable gut wall
What sites do infections commonly occur in liver pt.?
- Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- Septicaemia
- Pneumonia
- Skin
- Urinary tract
What is the commonest serious infection in cirrhosis?
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
What is the Rx for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis?
- Abx prophylaxis
2. Consider liver transplant
What can cause renal failure in liver disease?
- Drugs
- Infection
- GI bleed
- Myoglobinuria
- Renal tract obstruction
What can cause coma in pt. with chronic liver disease?
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Hyponatraemia
- Hypoglycaemia
- Intracranial event
What are the bedside tests for encephalopathy?
- Serial 7s
- WORLD backwards
- Animal counting in 1 min
- Draw 5 point star
- No. connection test
Give 5 consequences of liver dysfunction
- Malnutrition
- Impaired coagulation
- Vit K deficiency
- Amenorrhoea
- Hypoglycaemia
What are the consequences of liver disease?
- Malnutrition
- Variceal bleeding
- Encephalopathy
- Ascites
- Infections
How is malnutrition treated?
Nasogastric feeding
How is variceal bleeding treated?
- Endoscopic banding
- Propranolol
- Terlipressin
How is encephalopathy treated?
Lactulose
How is ascites treated?
- Salt/fluid restriction
- Diuretics
- Paracentesis
What are 5 causes of chronic liver disease?
- Alcohol
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Viral hepatitis (B, C)
- Wilson’s disease
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
What must be asked in PMx in chronic liver disease pt.?
- Alcohol problems
- Biliary surgery
- Autoimmune disease
- Blood products
What is the investigations for chronic liver disease?
- Viral serology
- Autoantibodies
- Immunoglobulins
- USS
- CT
- MRI
- Biochemistry
What is the DDx for hepatitis?
- Viral
- Drug-induced
- Autoimmune
- Alcoholic
What are the hepatitis investigations?
- Acute viral serology
- Iron studies
- Immunology
- Liver biopsy
What is seen in autoimmune hepatitis liver biopsy?
- Interface hepatitis
- Inflammation (plasma cells/lymphocytes)
- No cirrhosis
- No increase iron stain
What % of autoimmune hepatitis have cirrhosis at presentation?
30%
What is Rx for autoimmune hepatitis?
Prednisolone +/- azathioprine
Where is the damage in primary biliary cirrhosis?
Small bile ducts
What is the prevalence of primary biliary cirrhosis?
1 in 1000
What is the investigation for primary biliary cirrhosis?
+ve AMA
What is the clinical presentation in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC)?
- Itching
- Fatigue
- Dry eyes
- Joint pain
- Variceal bleeding
- Liver failure
What is the Rx for cholestatic itch?
- Cholestyramine
- Rifampicin
- Opiate antagonists
What is the Rx for fatigue and PBC?
Modafinil
Give 3 disease associated with PBC
- Sjögrens
- Thyroiditis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
What is the benefit of using ursodeoxycholic acid in PBC?
- Improves bilirubin
- Reduces inflammation
- Reduces portal pressure
- Reduces variceal development
How does primary sclerosing cholangitis present (PSC)?
- Itching
- Pain
- Rigors
- Jaundice
What is the Dx for PSC?
- Raised alkaline phosphorylate
2. Raised GGT
What stains ferric iron blue?
Perl’s stain
What can cause excess iron?
- Haemochromatosis
- Multiple blood transfusions
- Haemolysis
- Alcoholic liver disease
What gene is mutated in haemochromatosis?
HFE gene
What is the pathophysiology of haemochromatosis?
Uncontrolled intestinal iron absorption with deposition in liver, heart and pancreas
What is the Dx for haemochromatosis?
- Raised ferritin
- Transferrin saturation
- HFE genotyping
- Liver biopsy
What is at higher risk if haemochromatosis is present with cirrhosis?
Hepatocellular carcinoma
What is the Rx for haemochromatosis?
Iron removal
Give 5 symptoms of haemochromatosis
- Cirrhosis
- White nails
- Joint pain
- Chronic fatigue
- Dry skin
What is the pathophysiology of a1-antitrypsin deficiency?
Inability to export a1-antitrypsin from liver
What can a1-antitrypsin deficiency result in?
- Liver disease
2. Emphysema
How may a1-antitrypsin deficiency present?
- Neonatal jaundice
2. Chronic liver disease in adults
What is the Rx for a1-antitrypsin deficiency?
No Rx
What are the risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma?
- Hepatitis B, C
- Haemochromatosis
- Cirrhosis from alcohol
- Autoimmune disease
- Male
How may hepatocellular carcinoma present?
- Decompensation of liver disease
- Weight loss
- Ascites
- Abdo pain
What are the Rx for hepatocellular carcinoma?
- Transplant
- Resection
- Local ablation
- Sorafenib
What is produced in 50% of hepatocellular carcinoma pt.?
Alpha fetoprotein
What are the risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)?
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hyperlipidaemia
What are the symptoms for NALFD?
- Asymptomatic
2. Liver ache
What is the investigation for NAFLD?
- High LFT
- ALT
- Biopsy
What is seen in NASH?
Fatty liver, sometimes with inflammation and fibrosis
What does NASH cause?
Cryptogenic cirrhosis
What is the Rx for NAFLD?
Weight loss
What are the causes of hepatic vein occlusion?
- Thrombosis
- Membrane obstruction
- Veno-occlusive disease
How may hepatic vein occlusion present?
- Abnormal LFTs
- Ascites
- Acute liver failure
What is the Rx for hepatic vein occlusion?
- Anticoagulation
- Transjufular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
- Liver transplant
What is hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver
What are the symptoms of acute hepatitis?
- Malaise
- GI upset
- Jaundice
- Pale stools
- Dark urine
What are the signs of acute hepatitis?
- Tender hepatomegaly
- Bleeding
- Ascites
- Encephalopathy
What is seen in bloods for acute hepatitis?
- Raised transaminases (ALT/AST)
2. Raised bilirubin
Give 3 non-viral infections that cause acute hepatitis?
- M. tuberculosis
- Bartonella
- Syphilis
Give 4 non-infective causes of acute hepatitis
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- NAFLD
- Pregnancy
What signs are seen in chronic hepatitis?
- Clubbing
- Palmar erythema
- Dupuytren’s contracture
- Spider naevi
What is seen in decompensated chronic hepatitis?
- Coagulopathy
- Jaundice
- Low albumin
- Ascites
- Encephalopathy