Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreatic Diseases Flashcards
What causes pre-hepatic jaundice?
Too much haem to break down- unconjugated bilirubin enters small intestine
What will pre-hepatic jaundice show with regards to urine and stool colours?
Normal
What causes hepatic jaundice?
Hepatocyte damage means not enough bile is produced
What will hepatic jaundice show with regards to urine and stool colours?
Dark urine and may or may not cause pale stools
What causes post-hepatic jaundice?
Some kind of obstruction
What will post-hepatic jaundice show with regards to urine and stool colours?
Dark urine and pale stools
What can alcoholic liver disease cause?
Portal hypertension, malnutrition and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Which enzymes break down alcohol?
Alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase
What is alcohol broken down to form?
Catalase and ketone bodies
What is an effective short term treatment for alcoholic liver disease?
Prednisolone
What class of LFTs will alcoholic liver disease show?
Mixed hepatic and cholestatic
What effect will alcohol have on the liver after 2-3 days and is this reversible?
Fatty liver- yes
What effect will alcohol have on the liver after 4-6 weeks and is this reversible?
Inflammation (hepatitis)- yes
What effect will alcohol have on the liver after months-years and is this reversible?
Fibrosis- no
What effect will alcohol have on the liver after many years and is this reversible?
Cirrhosis- no
How do fat vacuoles appear on histology?
White blobs in hepatocytes
What are essential features of alcoholic hepatitis?
Excess alcohol, bilirubin > 80, exclusion of other causes, AST < 500
What is laid down around cells in alcoholic fibrosis? What colour will this be when dyed?
Collagen- blue
What LFTs will NAFLD show?
Hepatitic- increased ALT and AST
What is significant about an ALT of above 300?
Unlikely to be NAFLD
What does steatosis (the first stage of NAFLD) mean?
Fat depositions in the liver
What does steatohepatitis (the second stage of NAFLD) mean?
Fat deposits have resulted in inflammation
What is NAFLD very closely associated with?
Metabolic syndrome
How is simple steatosis diagnosed?
Ultrasound
How is steato-hepatitis diagnosed?
Liver biopsy
What are the outcomes of steatosis?
If it doesn’t progress then there are no liver outcomes, however there is an increased CV risk
What are the outcomes of steato-hepatitis?
Risk of progression to fibrosis and cirrhosis
What is the main treatment for NAFLD?
Weight loss and exercise
What will any type of hepatitis show in terms of LFTs?
A predominant rise in aminotransferases (AST, ALT)
How is Hep A spread?
Faecal-oral spread
What is the incubation time of Hep A?
Short
Is hepatitis A directly cytopathic or is the damage caused by an inflammatory response?
Directly cytopathic
Is there a carrier state of Hep A?
No
What is the outcome of Hep A usually?
Mild illness with full recovery
How is Hep B spread?
Blood, blood products, sexually or vertically
What is the incubation time of Hep B?
Long (4-6 months)
Is hepatitis B directly cytopathic or is the damage caused by an inflammatory response?
Inflammatory response
Do carriers of Hep B exist?
Yes, but fairly infrequent
What is the outcome of Hep B?
Fulminant acute infection and death, chronic hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma
Is Hep B infectious?
Very
How is Hep C spread?
Blood, blood products, sexually
Is Hep C infectious?
Yes- but less so than hep B
What is the incubation time of Hep C?
Shorter (4-6 weeks)
What is the outcome of hep C?
It is commonly asymptomatic and becomes chronic hepatitis which can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
What is the most common hepatitis in the UK?
Hep C
Who are at risk groups for Hep C?
PWID, vast sexual history, tattoos, Pakistani/Indian ethnicity
What gives a fairly solid diagnosis of Hep C and what should be done if this is found?
Positive Hep C antibodies- find out the genotype and refer to hepatology for treatment
Who is autoimmune hepatitis most common in?
Females (peaks at 30-40 and 55-65) and people with other autoimmune disease
Autoimmune hepatitis is strongly associated with what?
Anti-smooth muscle antibodies
What is shown in terms of LFTs for autoimmune hepatitis?
Increased ALT and AST, increased PT
An increase in what antibody is also associated with autoimmune hepatitis?
IgG
What are common presentations of autoimmune hepatitis?
Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, jaundice, stigmata of chronic liver disease
What treatment is used short and long term for autoimmune hepatitis?
Short- prednisolone
Long- azathioprine
What complications can develop from autoimmune hepatitis?
Cirrhosis or oesophageal varices
What are indicators of a poor prognosis in autoimmune hepatitis?
Ascites and encephalopathy
Who does primary biliary cholangitis occur most commonly in?
Women aged 50-65
What is primary biliary cholangitis strongly associated with?
Anti-mitochondrial antibodies
What antibody will potentially be raised in primary biliary cholangitis?
IgM
What is the mediator of primary biliary cholangitis?
T lymphocytes (CD4+ reacts to M2 target)
Primary biliary cholangitis is an inflammatory process of where?
Microscopic bile ducts
What may be seen on histology of primary biliary cholangitis?
Granulomas and bile duct loss
What disease is associated with numerous plasma cells?
Autoimmune hepatitis
What are common symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis?
Fatigue, itch, increased cholesterol and jaundice
What will primary biliary cholangitis show in terms of LFTs?
Cholestatic- increased ALP and slight increase of ALT and bilirubin
What is treatment for primary biliary cholangitis?
Ursodeoxcholic acid and treatment for itch
Who does primary sclerosing cholangitis occur more commonly in?
Males and people with ulcerative colitis
What is strongly associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Anti-nuclear cytoplasmic antibodies
Which bile ducts does primary sclerosing cholangitis affect?
Intra and extra hepatic- large and small
How is a diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis made?
Imaging of biliary tree (ERCP)
What is the outcome of primary sclerosing cholangitis?
Jaundice, periductal fibrosis and duct destruction
What is haemochromatosis?
Genetic condition causing excess iron in liver
What are secondary causes of haemochromatosis?
Excess iron in diet, blood transfusions and certain therapies
What other conditions can primary haemochromatosis predispose to?
Diabetes, cardiac failure, impotence and arthritis
What is a treatment option for haemochromatosis?
Venesection
What tests should always be done for haemochromatosis?
Serum iron and ferritin/transferrin saturations
What is the stain for iron known as?
Perl’s stain
What is Wilson’s disease?
Autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism which causes copper to accumulate in the liver and brain
Wilson’s disease is a loss of function of what?
Caeruloplasmin
What are characteristics of Wilson’s disease?
Low caeruloplasmin and Kayser-Fleisher rings
When does Wilson’s disease typically present?
Young age
What can Wilson’s disease result in?
Chronic hepatitis and neurological symptoms
What should you always test for in Wilson’s disease?
Serum and urine copper/serum caeruloplasmin
How can you treat Wilson’s disease?
Copper-chelation drugs
What can occur as a result of alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficieny?
Lung emphysema, liver deposition of mutant protein
What is the treatment for alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency?
Supportive
What is Budd-Chiari?
Thrombosis of hepatic veins
What deficiencies are common in Budd Chiari?
Protein S or C
What are acute presentations of Budd Chiari?
Jaundice and tender hepatomegaly
What can chronic Budd Chiari cause?
Ascites
How is Budd Chiari diagnosed?
Ultrasound of hepatic veins
What is treatment of Budd Chiari?
Recanalisation or stent
What is methotrexate and what does it cause?
Drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis which can cause progressive fibrosis
What is the treatment for liver disease secondary to methotrexate?
Stop the drug
What is the cause of cardiac cirrhosis?
High right sided pressure (incompetent tricuspid valve, congenital, rheumatic fever, constrictive pericarditis)
What does cardiac cirrhosis cause clinically?
Ascites and liver impairment from CCF
How do you treat cardiac cirrhosis?
By treating the cardiac condition