Liver disease Flashcards
What are 4 examples of liver issues?
- Viral liver disease (Hep virus)
- Jaundice
- Cirrhosis
- Liver failure
What is jaundice caused by?
- Accumulation of bilirubin in the skin (causes pigmentation and itch in the skin)
What is another term for jaundice?
- Icteric
What is the sclera of the eye?
- The white of the eye
Where is the first place that jaundice will be obvious?
- In the sclera (white) of the eye
What 3 stages can jaundice be divided into?
- PRE-hepatic
- Hepatic
- POST-hepatic
What can cause PRE-hepatic jaundice? (3 points)
- Autoimmune, spleen, abnormal RBC’s
What can cause ‘hepatic’ jaundice? (2 points)
- Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis
What can cause POST-hepatic jaundice? (3 points)
- Biliary, gall bladder and pancreatic disease
What happens in normal bilirubin metabolism?
- There are small amounts of unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
- This is passed into the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes
- Then moves into the bile duct as conjugated bilirubin
What is pre-hepatic jaundice usually caused by? (5 points)
- Excessive quantities of RBC breakdown products:
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Post transfusion (bad match)
- Neonatal (maternal RBC induced)
This results in too much bilirubin in the blood so much so that you overload the livers ability to conjugate
What is the name of the disease caused by prehepatic jaundice?
- Gilbert’s disease
What is hepatic jaundice caused by? (4 points)
Due to ‘liver failure’:
- Cirrhosis
- Drug induces liver dysfunction
Prevents metabolism of RBC breakdown products
What is post-hepatic jaundice caused by?
- Obstruction to bile outflow
Post-hepatic jaundice is caused by obstruction to bile outflow. How can this occur? (3 points)
Intrahepatic biliary system:
- Primary biliary sclerosis
Extrahepatic biliary system:
- Gall bladder (gall stones)
- Common bile duct (pancreatic carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma)
What is Cholangiocarcinoma?
Bile duct cancer
What are the clinical features of jaundice? (4 points)
- Conjugated bilirubin is excreted in the urine and faeces
- Colour changes with cause of jaundice
- Pale stool & dark urine suggests POST-hepatic cause (conj B causing the jaundice)
- Normal in haemolytic (excess B is unconjugated)
How can gall stones cause obstructive jaundice?
- By blocking the biliary tree
- Can cause inflammation
Where do gall stones form?
- In the gall bladder
What is acute cholecystits?
Inflammation of the gall bladder
What are the symptoms of gall stones? (4 points)
- Pain in shoulder tip
- Abdominal pain right side (radiates tot he back)
- Pain brought on by eating fatty food (stimulates bile release by contraction of the gall bladder)
- Usually gall stones (rarely cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer))
How do gall stones form?
Because you have bile that is super saturated - forms crystals and stones in some
What categories of the population can be more prone to getting gall stones? (5 points)
- Fair hair
- Fertile window
- Female
- Fat
- Forty
What are the possible options of imaging a jaundiced patient? (3 points)
- Ultrasound
- Plain radiographs
- ERCP
An ultrasound is one way of imaging a jaundiced patient. What does this show? (2 points)
- Detects dilated bile channels WITHIN the liver
- Also dilated biliary tree
A plain radiograph is one way of imaging a jaundiced patient. What does this show?
- Shows radiopaque gall stones
ERCP is a method of imaging the jaundices patient. What does this stand for and how does it work?
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
- Contrast radiograph of biliary tree (inject dye into the bile tree to see if there is a blockage)
What is a consequence of chronic pancreatic disease?
Diabetes
What is pancreatitis?
Inflammation of the pancreas
If a patient has pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis what would they need to do?
- Need oral pancreatic enzyme supplements
Does alcohol have a aetiological role in chronic pancreatitis?
- Yes