Liver disease & viral hepatitis Flashcards
What are the main functions of the liver?
glycogenolysis
cholesterol met, bilirubin met. urea cycle, steroid metabolism
gluconeogenesis
clotting factors, albumin, bile production
drug metabolism
what are the Phase I and phase II drug metabolism reactions
Phase I: oxidations by the cytochrome p450 systemic
Phase II: glucoronidation
WQhich labs can you look for liver function?
AST ALT ALk phos GGT T. Bilirubin albumin PT
When elevated, what do AST and ALT indicated?
hepatic necrosis
when elevated, what to Alk Phos and GGT indicate?
biliary obstruction if both are elevated
inc GGT can also indicat chorlnic liver disease
what is the normal value of AST
16-41 U/L
what is the normal level for ALT?
12-59 U/L
Normal value for Alk phos?
29-111 u/L
what is direct bilirubin and what does it mean when it is elevated?
Direct bilirubin= conjugated bilirubin which is elevated with bile duct obstruction or impaired intrahepatic excreition (hepatitis drugs, etc )(AFTER the liver)
what is indirect bilirubin and what does it mean when it is elevated?
Indirect bilirubin= unconjugated bilirubin is elevated in hemolysis (BEFORE the liver)
what is a normal albumin level? what does it mean when its is low or high?
3.4-4.7g/dL
i. If its low means that there is decreased hepatic synthetic capacity. Reasons it could be low: malnutrition, fluid overload, protein losing syndromes
ii. If it is high it can mean the person is dehydrated
what is the normal prothrombin time?
12 seconds
which clotting factors are made by the liver?
i. Major clotting factors 1,2,5, 7, 9, 10 are made in liver except 8
What does an elevated PT indicate?
problems with hepatic synthetic capacity
iii. Thrombocytopenia can occur due to portal hypertension and pooling in the spleen, decrease hepatic synthesis, and immune mediated destruction
what is the pathophysiology of cirrhosis?
i. when there is injury to hepatocytes, stellate cells, which reside in the sinusoid spaces start secreting collagen that lead to fibrosis in the sinusoid tissue. This fibrosis leads to increase in blood pressure of the portal vein. Additional changessucha ans changes in vasodilatory (NO) and vasocontricting (endothelin) mediators add to the pathophysiology
what are the main consequences of cirrhosis?
ascites, portal hypertension, esophageal vaircies, hepatic encephalopathy and coagulation disorders
what are the signs and symptoms of liver cirrhosis?
Weakness/fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain the RUQ, yellow skin, dark urine or light clay colored stool
NVD
hypoalbuninemia, cogulaopathy, jaundice, glucose intolerance, hypolycmeia, hepatic encephalopathy, thrombocytopenia, inc AST, ALT, GGT
portal hypertension: esophageal/gastric varicies, splenomegaly, leukopenia/thrombocytopenia, ascites
what is the child-Pugh score and what is it used for ? What is the MELD score?
i. Quantifies the effects of cirrhosis in terms of labs and clinical manifestations. Usually when there are drug dosing adjustments for liver failure , you use this score.
ii. Both of the systems are used to define severity of cirrhosis, patient survival prediction, surgical outcome, risk of variceal bleeding
what are common causes for acute liver failure?
: viral hepatitis (HAV, HBV, EBV, CMV), drug induced APAP, INH, amanita phalloides mushroom, Wilson’s disease, Reye’s syndrome, toxins (CCL4, hydrazines), cryptogenic
what are examples of acute liver failure?
fulminant hepatic failure, subfulminant hepatic failure
what are common causes for chronic liver failure?
viral (HCV, HBV ), alcoholic cirrhosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, malignancy, cryptogenic
what is the general treatment approach in fulminant hepatic failure?
treat it depending on the symptoms that they are having
what is the definition of fulminant hepatic failure?
i. Hepatic encephalopathy within 8 weeks of onset of symptoms or within 2 weeks of the onset of jaundice. No prior history of liver disease
ii. Cerebral edema is common, portal hypertension complications are rare, can be reversible
what is the definition of subfulminant hepatic failure?
iii. Subfulminant is hepatic encephalopathy within 2 weeks and 3 months of onset of jaundice