Liver problems.
What is the most common cause of liver failure world wide?
World Liver day is April 19.
Incidentally on April 19 1987 was the first time "The Simpsons" was aired.
Regarding Hepatitis A, B and C all of the following statements are correct except one. Which one is INCORRECT?
Hepatitis C is curable with an 8 to 12 week treatment
Which of these famous people did NOT die of cirrhosis of the liver?
John Meillon has a bar named after him at the "Oaks" at Neutral Bay, a pub he used to hang out at.
Bruce Lee apparently died of cerebral oedema secondary to an adverse reaction to "Equagesic" a combination of Aspirin and Meprobamate.
What should you suspect if a patient with ascites presents with fever and abdominal pain
It occurs quite often in patients with ascites. They need an ascitic tap to look for white cells (will be > 250-500/mm3). Treat with IV Ceftriaxone 1gm daily or Cefotaxime 2gm q8hr. IV Albumin 1.5gm/kg is also commonly given if the patient's Urea, Bilirubin or creatinine is elevated.
In the movie "Silence of the lambs" what wine does Hannibal Lector (see clip) drink with the fava beans and human liver he eats?
Scary movie---brilliantly acted.
In patients with hepatic encephalopathy they may develop asterixis. Which of the following best describes asterixis?
The flapping tremor may occur with more advanced hepatic encephalopathy.
All of the following statements about hepatocellular carcinoma are true except one. Which is the false statement?
Immunotherapy is useful in patients with advanced stage liver cancer with preserved liver function. Sorafenib was shown in the SHARP trial to improve survival in this group from 7.9 to 10.7 months. Better than nothing as long as the side effects aren't too bad.
Which Liver Function Test (LFT) is considered to represent hepatotoxicity in Paracetamol overdose?
Very early on following an ingestion ALT may be normal but a rise > 1000 IU/l is taken to represent hepatotoxicity. Raised levels of ALT and AST usually mean hepatocellular damage however ALT is more specific to the liver as AST is also found in cardiac and skeletal muscle as well as red blood cells.
Why do patients with chronic liver failure develop ascites?
The high portal vein pressure pushes out fluid into the peritoneal cavity made worse by the reduced oncotic pressure caused by low blood albumin levels (because the liver is unable to make the normal amount of protein as it fails).
In 1913 the Antarctic explorers Douglas Mawson and Xavier Mertz got sick (Mertz died) supposidly from eating the livers of their sled dogs. What was the cause of their illness?
High concentrations of Vitamin A are also found in seal, polar bear and moose livers. The above story is generally accepted as true. Some scholars however believe that Mawson would have noted the effects of Vitamin A toxicity in his diary but apparently he did not.