chronic liver disease symposium Flashcards
what are the stages leading to cirrhosis?
1) inflammation
2) fibrosis
3) cirrhosis
what are the key functions of a normal liver?
- regulation of metabolism
- portal venous drainage
- formation of bile and bilirubin
- immune function
what system is the immune function of the liver linked to?
reticuloendothelial system
what happens with the portal venous drainage of the normal liver?
- hormone and drug inactivation
- protein degradation
what happens with the regulation of metabolism of the normal liver?
- protein synthesis
- carbohydrate metabolism
- lipid metabolism
what are the altered functions of the liver when it is cirrhotic?
- reduced metabolic capacity
- portal hypertension
- jaundice
- impaired immune response
what are the possible complications of portal hypertension?
- ascites
- hypersplenism
- varices
- hepatic encephalopathy
what are the possible complications of reduced metabolic capacity of the liver?
- coagulopathy
- reduced albumin
- hypoglycaemia
what are some of the causes of cirrhosis?
- non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- alcohol
- viral hepatitis (C and B)
- autoimmune liver disease
- haemochromatosis
- wilson disease
what are the 2 categories of cirrhosis?
compensated and decompensated
what are the key characteristics of compensated cirrhosis?
- ‘well’ patient
- +/- some symptoms and signs
- abnormal/normal LFT’s
- abnormal imaging
- abnormal biopsy
what are the key characteristics of decompensated cirrhosis?
- unwell patient
- jaundice
- ascites
- coagulopathy
- low albumin
- encephalopathy
- abnormal LFT’s
- abnormal imaging
what are the 2 categories decompensated cirrhosis can be broken down into?
- liver cell failure
- portal hypertension
what are the 4 key signs of portal hypertension?
- splenomegaly
- ascites
- varices
- encephalopathy
(SAVE)
