Liver failure involves:
Acute or Chronic Liver Damage: Damage to liver cells (hepatocytes) due to various causes such as viral hepatitis, alcohol abuse, autoimmune diseases, or drug toxicity.
Impaired Liver Function: Loss of functional hepatocytes leads to a decrease in the liver's ability to detoxify harmful substances, produce proteins, and regulate metabolism.
Compensatory Mechanisms: Initially, the liver tries to compensate for damage through regeneration of hepatocytes and activation of alternative pathways.
Complications: Liver failure can lead to hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, coagulopathy, ascites, and multi-organ failure.
Clinical Evaluation
Symptoms: Assessment of symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain and swelling (ascites), fatigue, confusion (hepatic encephalopathy), and easy bruising or bleeding.
Physical Examination: Examination findings may include jaundice, fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites), spider-like blood vessels on the skin (spider angiomas), and signs of neurological impairment.
Diagnostic Tests: Blood tests to assess liver function (liver enzymes, bilirubin levels), imaging studies (ultrasound, CT scan) to visualize liver damage and ascites, and liver biopsy in some cases to determine the cause and extent of liver damage.
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).
Abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites.
Fatigue, weakness, and weight loss.
Mental confusion, personality changes, or coma (hepatic encephalopathy).
Easy bruising or bleeding due to impaired clotting factors.
Spider-like blood vessels on the skin (spider angiomas).
Treatment goals focus on managing symptoms, preventing complications, and addressing the underlying cause:
Management of Underlying Cause: Treatment for the underlying condition causing liver damage, such as antiviral medications for viral hepatitis or cessation of alcohol consumption.