Liver disease Flashcards
Discriminating features in liver disease:
- Abdo pain, fever, rigors
- Pruritis
- Arthritis
- Pigmentation
- Bloody diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- SOB/emphysema
- Dry eyes/mouth
- Biliary colic, cholangitis
- Cholestatic disease
- Haemochromatosis, autoimmune hepatitis, hep B
- PBC, haemochromatosis
- PSC (IBD patients)
- Malignancy/end stage cirrhosis
- Alpha1anti-trypsin deficiency
- PBC
Clotting studies and proteins
- PT/INR
- Albumin
- Increased PT time as liver makes factors 2 7 9 10 aka vitamin K factors
- Decreased albumin indicates severe
Autoantibodies and immunoglobulins
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- PBC (mitochondBILE)
- PSC
- AAAlcoholic liver disease or NAFLD
- ANA + anti-smooth muscle + IgG (smooth G)
- Anti mitochondrial AMA + IGM (MMMitochondBILE)
- pANCA
- IgA
Metabolic syndrome criteria
Any 3 of:
- Waist circumference
- Hypertriglyceridemia / active Rx for dyslipidemia
- Low HDL cholesterol
- HTN
- Fasting plasma glucose >5.6 / active Rx for T2DM
Tumour markers
- a-fetoprotein
- CA19-9
- HCC
2. Cholangiocarcinoma
Wilsons diagnosis
↓caeruloplasmin + 24 hr urine Cu, slit lamp eye exam- K-F rings
Hepatolenticular degeneration = small liver
Flapping
ERCP uses
Only used therapeutically now as MRCP is used to diagnose - removes stones. 2-4% get pancreatitis
Liver biopsy indications
NOT for acute - just chronic
Chronic liver disease - identify cause, severity and stage (ie cirrhosis due to ALD - fat deposits and inflam cells)
Focal lesions are guided
Post transplant to monitor rejection
Risk of significant bleeding
Ix to detect liver stiffness/fibrosis
Transient elastogrphy / fibroscan
Liver transplant indications
Treatment resistant ascites, encephalopathy
In a cholestasis picture
- Anaemia
- WCC
- Reticulocytes
- Malignancy
- Ascending cholangitis
- Prehepatic jaundice/hemolysis
What signs differentiate cholecystitis from ascending cholangitis
Rigors, septic shock, hypotension and confusion
Bleeding prophylaxis after variceal bleed
Propanolol
How to determine if alcohol is playing a role in liver disease
Measure MCV
Talk to friends/relatives
Liver cirrhosis pathophysiology
Hepatic stellate cells (normally store vit D) in space of Disse (between hepatocytes and endothelium) become activated, form myofibroblast complex and deposit collagen > fibrous scar tissue/ECM
Liver becomes small nobly mass with irregular edges
Compensated vs decompensated liver disease
Compensated: 50% 10y survival
Spider naevie, palmar erythema, gynacomast, xanthelasma, bruising, oedema, hepatosplenomeg, clubbing, Dupytren’s contracture
Decompensated: 50% 18m survival
Jaundice, ascites (shifting dullness), encephalopathy, reduced GCS/concentration, asterixis (flapping tremor), oesoph varices, Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Collaterals due to portal HTN mean that blood from GI bypasses liver =
Contain toxins = encephalopathy
Why low platelets in liver disease
Portal HTN > splenomegaly
Case mentioned: Increased echogenicity, coarse nodular parenchyma and an irregular liver edge on USS
what is Dx and what may be seen on CXR
Alcoholic liver disease
Pleural effusion + elevated diaphragm
Cirrhosis gold standard Dx
Biopsy
Unless clear signs of cirrhosis ie ascites, coagulopathy, shrunken/nodular US
(large liver in early LD, small in late cirrhosis
Complication of cirrhosis
Varices
Pathology
Acute bleed treatment + prophylaxis
Portal hypertension: Backflow pressure from liver shunts blood up portal veins to systemic veins (wrong way) causing buldging/collaterals and varices
Acute variceal bleed = resus, ABx, terlipressin (vasopressin/vasoconstrictor), endoscopy - banding/adrenaline
consider TIPS but monitor for ammonia encephalopathy + HF
1’ prophylaxis - propanolol
Complication of cirrhosis
Ascites
2 theories
Management
Water and salt IN > out
Underfill theory: Hepatic vein (ascending from liver) outflow obstruction > transudate ie pressure squeezes fluid out of circulation
Overflow theory: Liver fails to filter out metabolites > vasodilation in systemic circulation > reduced GFR > RAS = retain NaCl + H2O
(ALWAYS TAP ASCITES)
Exclude SBP (WCC>250)
Restrict salt + water intake
Diuretics - furesomide/spironolactone
Therpeutic paracentesis /TIPS if diuretics arent working (replace fluid you remove with IV human albumin solution HAS else hepatorenal syndrome may occur)
Analysis of ascitic fluid
Cytology - only positive in 7%
Serum:Ascites albumin gradient:
High gradient means that there is portal hypertension which forces water into the peritoneal cavity but keeps albumin in the vasculature. Seen in Cirrhosis, alcoholic hep, HF, Budd-chiari syndrome, nephrotic syndrome (AKA transudate)
Low gradient indicates that there is lots of albumin in the peritoneal area and thus a peritoneal cause as opposed to due to portal hypertension/liver, such as TB, pancreatitis, infections, serositis, peritoneal cancer
WCC >250 = SBP
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
Sx
Dx
Mx
May be asymptomatic
Fever, abdo pain, encephalopathy, abdo pain, diarrhea/ileus, shock/hypothermia
WCC >250 = diagnostic
Mx: Tazocin + lifelong prophylaxis with cipro
Hepatorenal syndrome
Def
Types
Mx
Development of renal failure in a patient with severe liver disease (acute or chronic) in absence of any identifiable cause of renal pathology ie kidneys work fine
May be precipitated by SBP - which causes vasodilation and reduced CO which in turn activates vasoconstrictors locally = Increased portal HTN + kidney (HRS), brain (enceph), adrenal glands (insufficiency)
Type1: ACUTE
Type2: CHRONIC - due to refractory ascites
LIVER TRANSPLANT + volume expansion (Albumin HAS) Splanchnic vasoconstriction (Terlipressin)
30% with bloody ascites have
HCC
Hepatic encephalopathy
Grading
Pathophysiology
Mx
1 (Reduced attention, lack of awareness) - 4 (coma)
Precipitated by: Infection, acidosis, low sodium, constipation - ultimately caused by ammonia, benzos, hyponatremia and cytokines which cause the brain astrocytes to swell and cause oxidative stress
Mx: Treat precipitating factor
Regular lactulose +/- phosphate enema
Rifaximin- Ab, thiamine/ vit B
Risk management during cirrhosis
- HCC
- Variceal haemorrhage
- Viral superinfection
- Osteoporosis
- Ascites & SBP
- vitamin deficiencies
- Screening ultrasound and AFP every 6 months
- OGD at diagnosis of cirrhosis and every 2 years - propanolol for bleeding prevention
- Immunise against Hep A and Hep B
- Screen and treat
- Monitor regularly
- vit B and thiamine