MET2 Revision 9 Flashcards
How does liver disease progress? (is similar for no. of pathologies)
- Primary Injury: liver cells are damaged.
2.This causes inflammation
- This causes liver cell injury / death from primary injury or inflam. response
- Fibrosis occurs if cell death is too advanced / regen capacity is exhausted / process has been to extensive: causes pathological scar tissue (fibrosis).
- Eventually fibrotic nodules are formed: this is when we classify as cirrhosis
- A liver can function normally with cirrhosis (& be asymptomatic) but can lead to liver failure or cancer
Symptoms of liver disease?
Systemic [2]
Cholestatic? [2]
None
Systemic:
* Weight loss
* Tiredness
Cholestatic (reduction in bile flow)
* Pruritis (itchy skin; Cholestatic liver disease increases levels of bile salt which accumulate under the skin causing itch)
* Pale stools/dark urine
Complications of underlying disease
Signs of Chronic Liver Disease? [5]
Palmar erythema
Spider naevi
(most specific)
Hair loss
Gynaecomastia (man boobs)
Leuchonychia / Clubbing
Proximal wasting
Scratch marks
Xanthelasma
Indicators of liver status:
Which blood tests would be useful to indicate liver function? [2]
Which blood tests would be useful to indicate stage of liver disease? [2]
Which blood tests would be useful to indicate liver function? [2]
* Albumin
* INR (Prothrombin Time)
Which blood tests would be useful to indicate stage of liver disease? [2]
* Platelet count (as spleen enlarges, can have consumption of platelets)
* ALT/AST
What would be indicated if ALT / AST is raised? [1]
Elevated ALT / AST indicates source is hepatic problem
What would be indicated if Alk Phos AND γGT/ GGT is raised? [1]
Elevated Alk Phos / γGT indicates cholestatic problem
What could be ruled out of causing ALT > 500?
What would ALT of 500-100 indicate is the source?
What would ALT of 1500+ indicate?
ALT:
Alcohol doesn’t put ALT > 500
500 – 1500: autoimmune hepatitis
more than 1500: hepatitis viruses / drugs / ischaemia
Which results in blood tests would help ID aetiology? [3]
Aetiology:
Viral markers
Autoantibodies & Immunoglobulins
Metabolic
* Ferritin / caeruloplasmin / HbA1c
* Alpha1 antitrypsin
* Alphafetoprotein
First Imaging used for liver disease? [1]
What are alternatives? [4]
Ultrasound:
* Biliary tree
* Liver lesions
* Ascites
* Spleen
* Veins
* Other pathology
CT
MRI
ERCP / MRCP
How does cirrhosis cause portal hypertension?
Name 3 signs of portal hypertension [3]
- Cirrhosis disrupts the blood flow into the flow from the portal veins: causes increase in pressure (portal hypertension)
- Liver breaks down vasodilatory peptides (if not working, then doesn’t)
- If liver is also not producing albumin, decreases oncotic pressure and pushes liquid out
Dilated abdominal veins
- Caput medusa
Ascites
Splenomegaly
Explain how portal hypertension causes ascites
Liver malfunction:
* Liver breaks down vasodilatory peptides (if not working, then doesn’t)
* Cirrhosis reduces ease of blood flow
* If liver is also not producing albumin, decreases oncotic pressure and pushes liquid out
Causes splachnic vasodilation
Causes reduction in circulating volume in portal system.
(sensed by the kidney (by JGA))
Activates renin system: causes activation of RAAS. Leads to salt and water reab. at kidney
Leads to ASCITES
How can you treat variceal bleeding [4]
What can you give as primary and secondary prophylaxis for variceal bleeding? [2]
Treatment:
Resuscitation
Terlipressin (inhibits portal hypertension with simultaneous reduction of blood circulation in portal vessels) and Antibiotics
Banding or injection sclerotherapy
TIPSS
Primary + secondary prophylaxis beta blockers
Propranolol / Carvedilol
Banding
How is ammonia produced in health? What happens after this?
NH3 is produced when glutamine converted to glutamate
In health: NH3 is converted to urea & excreted in kidney OR in reverse of reaction, back to glutamine
How can you stop the production of NH3 to treat encephalopathy? [2]
Rifaximin: reduces the production of NH3 in the gut
L-Ornithine L-arginine: stops the conversion of glutamate to glutamine
What scoring system do you use to assess if have decompensated liver? [1]
What score would classify a decompensated liver? [1]
Child-Pugh score:
over 7 points: decompensated
What is non-alcholic fatty liver disease? [2]
Hepatic steatosis build-up of fat in the liver cells) on histology or imaging
No secondary cause for steatosis
Explain how insulin resistance causes a higher risk of developing fatty liver disease [3]
Insulin Resistance causes high risk of developing fatty liver disease.
Patient resistant: have high levels of circulating glucose: causes de novo lipogenesis in liver cells
Also causes inappropriate gluconeogenesis, impaired glycogen synthesis AND decreases the suppression of lipids in the liver
Overall: causes more glycerol, long chain fatty acids that make way to liver and hepatic fats accumulate. Also get impaired clearance of via VLDL formation
Which three process due to fat accumulating in the liver causes the progression to fatty liver disease? [3]
Oxidative Stress (lioptoxicity)
Inflammation
Innate immune activation
Which pathology is commonly associated with ALD? [1]
What does this pose a risk or when re-feeding? [2]
Nutritional deficiency
* Poor oral intake and ‘empty calories’
* Possible re-feeding risk
* Thiamine and vitamin deficiencies
What is Henderson-Hasselbach equation in the body for pH blood plasma? [1]
Mechanism of reabsorbing HCO3- at PCT ?
