Chronic liver disease
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Chronic liver disease is a liver disease of slow process and persisting over a long period of time, resulting in a progressive destruction of the liver.
Causes
It can refer to:
- Cirrhosis
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis B
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Liver failure
- Portal hypertension
- Hemochromatosis
- Wilson's disease
- Gaucher disease
- Liver cancer
- Hepatoma
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Sarcoidosis
- Zellweger syndrome
Risk Factors
- Health care professionals who are exposed to body fluids and infected blood
- Individuals who get multiple tattoos and body piercing
- Certain prescription medications
- Excessive alcohol use
- Having high levels of fat in the blood
- Sharing infected needle and syringes
- Having unprotected sex and multiple sex partners
- Working with toxic chemicals without wearing safety clothes
Natural History, Complications, Prognosis
Complications
- Portal hypertension
- Hypoalbuminaemia
- Coagulopathy
- Hepatopulmonary syndrome
- Hepatorenal syndrome
- Encephalopathy
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (also called hepatoma)
Prognosis Prognosis is assessed by
Diagnosis
Physical examination
Skin
- Increased pigmentation of the skin
- Tattoos
- Scratch marks
Eyes
Heart
- Signs of right heart failure
Lungs
Abdomen
- Hepatomegaly
- Ascites
- Spider nevi (angiomata)
Extremities
Neurologic
- Metabolic Flap/Asterixis