Liver Disease + Gall Bladder + Pancreas Flashcards
What does excessive bilirubin level in blood cause
Jaundice
What is the prehepatic cause of jaundice
Haemolytic anaemia - excess breakdown of RBC, releasing excess bilirubin
Sickle cell disease
What organs breakdown RBC
spleen
How is bilirubin metabolised
Metabolised in the liver, undergoes phase 2 metabolism - glucoronidation, making bilirubin more water soluble so it can be excreted in bile
What is glucoronidation
Addition of glucuronic acid by glucuronosyltransferase (UGT1A1)
Two types of hepatic causes of jaundice
Unconjugated - abnormal metabolism of bilirubin
Conjugated - abnormal excretion of conjugated bilirubin
What are the unconjugated hepatic causes of jaundice
Gilbert’s syndrome
hyperthyroidism
high serum levels of gentamicin
What are the conjugated hepatic causes of jaundice
hepatocellular injury - viral hepatitis / autoimmune hepatitis / alcoholic hepatitis / non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/ drug induced liver injury
Cholestatic liver disease - PBC, PSC
Sarcoidosis / amyloidosis / tuberculosis
What are the post hepatic causes of jaundice
Cholestatic liver diseases (PBC, PSC, malignancy, gallstones)
biliary atresia
strictures of biliary duct
What are cholestatic liver diseases
Decrease in bile flow due to abnormal excretion or obstruction of the bile ducts
Examples of cholestatic diseases
Malignancy at head of pancreas
primary sclerosing cholangitis
primary biliary cholangitis
gallstones
What is acute liver failure
Loss of liver function due to acute massive necrosis of hepatocytes
In absence of chronic liver disease
Causes of acute liver failure
Drug induced liver injury
viral hepatitis
alcohol
Budd chiari syndrome
What is the most common cause of acute liver failure
Drug induced liver injury
What drugs can cause drug induced liver injury
Paracetamol overdose
Co-amoxiclav / flucloxacillin / NSAID
Statins, ecstasy
What are the characteristic findings of acute liver failure
Hepatic encephelopathy + coagulopathy + hypoglycaemia + jaundice
What is hepatic encephelopathy
Altered mental state
Confusion
Asterixis (liver flap)
Due to build up of toxic ammonia
Symptoms of ALF
Jaundice HE easy bruising (due to coagulopathy) Abdominal pain Infection circulatory failure
What causes circulatory failure
Massive necrosis leads to massive inflammation, massive vasodilation -> very low SVR
Diagnosis of ALF
INR - coagulability Blood glucose level Ammonia level LFT - albumin / ALP / gGT / bilirubin Imaging
Treatment of ALF
IV fluids
Vitamin K and fresh plasma with clotting factors
Transplant
Sepsis 6 bundle if indicated
Complications of acute liver failure
Infections Circulatory failure High output HF Cerebral injury Haemorrhage
Why does circulatory failure occur in ALF
Because massive necrosis -> inflammation -> vasodilation -> low SVR
What is the end stage of liver disease
Cirrhosis
Timeline of liver disease
Chronic liver disease -> persistent inflammation -> fibrosis -> cirrhosis -> acute liver failure / decompensated cirrhosis
What does decompensated cirrhosis mean
The point where there is so much fibrosis and scarring causing the liver to fail ultimately
Examples of chronic liver diseases (conditions that can develop into chronic liver disease)
Alcoholic hepatitis Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Viral hepatitis Autoimmune hepatitis Malignancy Primary biliary cholangitis / primary sclerosing
Development of alcoholic liver disease
Alcoholic fatty liver -> alcoholic hepatitis -> fibrosis -> cirrhosis
Disease progresses as you continue drinking
Why should you treat alcoholic fatty liver / alcoholic hepatitis as soon as possible
Because they are reversible; once you stop drinking, they can resolve and not develop into cirrhosis
What causes alcoholic fatty liver
Metabolism of alcohol leads to excess fat deposits in the liver
What will be seen on histology of alcoholic fatty liver
fat vacuoles (steatosis)
What products from alcohol metabolism are toxic to the liver
Ethanol and acetaldehyde
How long does it usually take for alcoholic hepatitis to develop
Weeks or months of excessive alcohol consumption
What happens in alcoholic hepatitis
Toxic ethanol and acetaldehyde -> necrosis -> inflammation
What immune cells infiltrate the liver in alcoholic hepatitis
Neutrophils
What stain is used to identify collagen fibres
Masson Trichome
How long does it take for fibrosis to occur in alcoholic hepatiits
months to years of excessive alcohol consumption
Histological features of cirrhosis
Collagen fibres surrounding regenerative nodules of hepatocytes, cutting off blood supply
How does cirrhosis make the hepatocytes no longer functional
Because the collagen fibres surrounding the hepatocytes cuts off the blood supply to the hepatocytes, meaning that
- the hepatocytes cannot receive portal blood from portal vein = cannot filter the nutrient rich blood
- the hepatocytes cannot receive blood from hepatic artery = no oxygen so dies
Why are there regenerative nodules in cirrhosis
Because of the persistent liver injury and necrosis in that area, causing the hepatocytes have to proliferate
Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis
Jaundice Pain tender on palpation hepatomegaly signs of decompensated cirrhosis / liver failure
What are the signs of decompensated cirrhosis
Ascites
Portal hypertension
Easy bruising - coagulopathy
HE
Management of alcoholic hepatitis
Stop alcohol consumption
Ensure good nutrition and hydration
corticosteroid therapy for severe hepatitis
Complication of chronic liver disease
Cirrhosis
Malnutrition
Increase risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
What is NAFLD
Fatty liver in absence of excess alcohol consumption
Risk factors for NAFLD
Obesity
Metabolic syndrome - hypertension / hyperlipidaemia / low HDL
Diabetes
Genetic changes
Changes in what genes are associated with NAFLD
PNPLA3
TM6SF2
When should you suspect that the patient’s NAFLD is caused by genetic changes
When the patient is young and lean
Symptoms of NAFLD
Usually asymptomatic
Hepatomegaly
Signs of decompensated cirrhosis / liver failure
Pathogen for hepatitis A
Ebstein Barr virus
Pathogen for hepatitis B
yellow fever virus
Pathogen for hepatitis C
Herpes simplex virus
Pathogen for hepatitis E
cytomegalovirus
Which type of viral hepatitis is least likely to cause chronic liver disease
Hepatitis A and E
Which type of viral hepatitis has a high chance of developing into chronic liver disease
Hepatitic B (the younger the patient is, the greater the risk) Hepatitis C
What is considered as chronic viral hepatitis B
Failure to clear hepatitis B, causing presence of HBsAg antigen for over 6 months
Does hepatitis B have a short or long incubation period
Long - takes 1 - 4months to develop symptoms
Transmission of hepatitis B
By blood or sexual fluids
Can hepatitis B be transmitted from mother to child? And why is it bad?
Yes (vertical transmission); bad because the younger the patient gets hepatitis B, the more likely it is to develop into chronic liver disease and eventually cause cirrhosis
How long is the incubation period of hepatiits C
2 to 12 weeks
Chronic hepatitis caused by which virus is more associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatitis B
What may be a histological finding for hepatitis caused by hepatitis C
Steatosis
Infiltration of inflammatory cells
What is the LFT pattern for cholestatic disease
Raised ALP and gGT
What would the LFT result be for viral hepatitis
Raised ALT and AST, normal ALP and gGT
Low albumin
Which hepatitis causes chronic hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis B
Symptoms of acute hepatitis
Fever Jaundice Abdominal pain Nausea/vomiting Diarrhea
What is the most common cause of cirrhosis
Alcoholic hepatitis
Symptoms of chronic hepatitis
Usually asymptomatic till develop decompensated cirrhosis / ALF or exacerbations (symptoms of acute hepatitis)
Signs of deceompensated cirrhosis: HE, ascites, easy bruising
What conditions increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Chronic viral hepatitis B
Alcoholic hepatitis
NAFLD
PBC
Transmission of hepatitis A
Faecal-oral
Which age group does hepatitis A more commonly affect
young people
What needs to be done to confirm diagnosis for Hepatitis A
clotted blood for HAV IgM
Which group of hepatitis B patients need to be treated
Those with hepatitis B for more than 4 weeks
Those with coagulopathy
Those with acute liver failure
Diagnosis of hepatitis B
Serology and LFT
What would serology for active hepatitis B infection be
HBsAg positive
HBeAg positive
HBV DNA PCR positive
IgM anti-HBc positive
What signifies a chronic hepatitis B
HBsAg for more than 6 months
Serology for chronic hepatitis B
IgM anti HBc negative IgG anti HBc positive HBsAg positive anti-Hbs negative HBV DNA PCR positive
How long will IgM anti HBc be present
6 months
Which anti HBc will be present after 6 months of infection (in chronic hepatitis)
IgG HBc
What does HBeAg indicate
Indicates high viral replication / infectivity
What does anti-HBs indicate
clearance of disease or vaccinated
What does anti HBe indicate
decrease in viral replication
Serology for hepatitis B vaccinated person
anti HBs positive
others negative