Liver and Pancreas - Final Exam Flashcards
Function of liver (4)
- Excretion (bile)
- Metabolic (fats, carbohydrates, proteins, drugs)
- Storage (carbohydrates, fats, vitamins)
- Synthesis (albumin)
Chronic liver disease
Many diseases
Liver has only few stereotypic ways to respond to injury
Most liver diseases result in cirrhosis (nodular fibrosis)
Clinical signs of chronic liver disease (6)
- Jaundice
- Varices
- Splenomegaly (black up in portal vein and splenic vein)
- Kidney and lung symptoms
- Ascites
- Encephalopathy
Ascites
Fluid accumulation in abdominal cavity - expanded stomach
Encephalopathy
Mental difficulties
Increase ammonia in blood
Hepatotropic viruses
Cause chronic liver disease
Viruses that specifically target hepatocytes
Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E
May present as acute or chronic
Hep A virus composition
Single stranded RNA
Hep A spread
Faecal-oral route by contaminated food or water
Hep A clinical features
15-45 days after exposure
Brief illness - days unless immunocompromised
No chronic disease
Vaccine available
Acute hepatitis: inflammation with areas of hepatocyte necrosis
Hep B virus composition
dsDNA
Hep B spread
Parenteral, vertical (from mom), or sexual transmission
Hep B clinical features
40-180 days
Can cause acute and chronic liver disease (chronic more likely if at birth(
Vaccine available
Hep B histology
Hepatocytes contain ground-glass cytoplasm inclusions of HBV
Pink, glassy inclusion (usually granular)
Expanded endoplasmic reticulum
Retraction artifacts around inclusion
Hep C virus composition
ssRNA
Hep C spread
Via sexual and parenteral transmission (blood products, shared needles, tattoos, neddlestick)
Hep C clinical features
Major cause of chronic liver disease
May be asymptomatic for many years
Cancer associated
No vaccine, but successful treatment (>95%, but expensive)
HCV infection with portal-based inflammation and lymphoid aggregate
Hep D virus composition
ssRNA - incomplete
Needs HBV to replicate
Coinfection of HDV and HBV
Infected at the same time
Often more aggressive than HBV alone
Superinfection of HDV and HBV
Infected with HDV after HBV
May cause fulminant liver failure
Hep E virus composition
ssRNA
Hep E spread
Faecal-oral and zoonotic roots of infection
Hep E clinical features
Mild-severe acute hepatitis
May cause chronic liver disease in certain population (immunosuppressed)