Liver Disease Symposium: Introduction to Liver disease Flashcards
4 roles of the liver
- Glucose + Fat metabolism
- Detoxification + excretion
- Protein synthesis
- Defence against infection
What excretion takes place in the liver
- Bilirubin
- Ammonia
- Drugs/hormones/pollutants
Through what vessel does blood enter the liver
Portal vein + hepatic artery
What epithelium lines the hepatic artery, portal vein and bile duct
CUBOIDAL EPITHELIUM
Result of chronic liver damage
Fibrosis
What is severe fibrosis of the liver called
Cirrhosis
Presentation of liver injury
- Malaise
- Nausea
- Anorexia
- Jaundice
RARER:
- Confusion
- Bleeding
- Liver pain
- Hypoglycaemia
What would liver pain indicate
Obstruction
Presentation of chronic liver injury
- Ascites
- Oedema
- Haematemesis
- Malaise
- Anorexia
- Wasting
- Itching
- Hepatomegaly
- Abnormal LFTs
How do we test for liver function
- Serum bilirubin
- Albumin
- PTT
What cholestatic enzymes are looked at in blood tests
- Alkaline phosphatase
2. Gamma-GT
What hepatocellular enzymes are looked at in blood tests
Transaminases
Does looking at serum enzyme give an indication of liver function
No
What causes pre-hepatic jaundice
Haemolysis
Gilberts
What causes cholestatic jaundice (conjugated)
Liver disease
Bile duct obstruction
Why is PTT a good indicator of acute and chronic liver disease
Sue to its short half-life
What can cause a prolonged prothrombin time
Vit K deficiency in biliary obstruction - low conc. of bile salts causes poor absorption of vit K
In what disease is alkaline phosphatase levels raised
Intrahepatic and extra hepatic cholestatic disease - increased synthesis
Cirrhosis
Hepatic infiltration
How do bile pigments form
From harm when old/damaged erythrocytes are broken down in the spleen and liver
What is the most predominant bile pigment
Bilirubin
Where is bilirubin extracted
Hepatocytes
What colour is bilirubin
Yellow
What is haemoglobin broken down into
Haem + global
What is global broken down into
Amino acids - used to make new erythrocytes
What happens to harm
Broken down in bilirubin and Fe2+
What happens to biliverdin
Reduced to unconjugated bilirubin
Property of bilirubin
Lipid-soluble and insoluble in blood so must be bound to ALBUM
Where does bilirubin go
Glucuronidation in the liver
Describe the production of conjugated bilirubin
Action of UDP glucuronyl transferase
Why does Gilbert’s result in pre-hepatic jaundice
Lack of UDP glururonyl transferase
Where does the conjugated bilirubin go
Travels to ileum where it is reduced by bacteria into urobilinogen
What happens to urobilinogen
Some is absorbed into the blood + bound to albumin
Some is oxidised to form stercobilin
What give urine its yellow colour
Urobilinogen
What can cause post-hepatic jaundice
- Gall-stones
2. Mirizzi syndrome