Chapter 16 (Diseases of the liver, gallbladder, and exocrine pancreas) Flashcards
(129 cards)
Which organ is the first stop for all nutrients?
- the liver
what is the largest gland in the body?
- the liver
How many lobes does the liver have and what are each lobe made up of?
- four lobes; two functional (right and left)
- each lobe is made up of thousands of lobules around a central vein
True or false: Cells of the liver are resilient and regenerate?
- True
What organ is the primary blood reservoir and central to metabolism?
- the liver
How much blood does the liver store at any given time?
- 200 - 400 mL
The liver receives nutrients from the digestive tract and processes them for distribution throughout the body through what?
- the hepatic portal vein
- which the hepatic vein returns blood to the heart from the liver
what supplies oxygen rich blood from the heart to the liver?
- hepatic artery
What does the liver regulate?
- glucose and cholesterol
what does the liver store?
- vitamins
- glycogen
- copper
- iron
The liver metabolites and is the detoxifier/clearance of what?
- drugs
- hormones
- toxins
- ammonia
- bilirubin
the liver synthesize and secretes what?
- albumin
- other transport proteins
- lipoproteins
- clotting factors
- cholesterol
- bile
- glucose
what is the two major functions of the liver?
- bile secretion
- enterohepatic circulation of bile (recirculation of bile salts)
what are the two functions of bile?
- emulsify
- absorption - formation of micelles
What does the liver reuse 95% and 5% newly synthesized in the enterohepatic circulation?
- bile salt
How much bile salt does the liver make a day in the enterohepatic circulation?
- 600 - 1000 mL
How much bile salt do we lose in our feces through the enterohepatic circulation?
- 5%
What are some of the pertinent laboratory values for the liver?
- liver function tests (LFTs)
- non-invasive screening for liver function
- allow recognition of type of liver disease
- assessment of severity and predict outcomes
What is looked at when doing a liver function test?
- alanine transaminase (ALT) elevated d/t liver damage
- aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevated d/t liver damage
- bilirubin (yellow compound)
- albumin (might be low)
- prothrombin time (blood clotting)
What is Jaundice?
- yellowish tint to body tissues; skin, eyes
what is the yellowish tint to body tissues caused by?
- large quantities of bilirubin in extracellular fluid
what is the normal plasma concentration of bilirubin and at what level does the skin start to appear yellowish?
- < 1.1 mg/dL
- can rise to >5 mg/dL
- skin appears yellowish at 2.4 - 3 mg/dL
what are the 3 main causes of jaundice?
- Hemolytic (increased destruction of RBCs
- Hepatic (decreased uptake of bilirubin, decreased liver function)
- Obstructive (obstruction of bile ducts or liver cells)
What are the pathophysiology of the liver?
- metabolic alterations
- decreased intake
- altered absorption