...Liver Cirrhosis Your Name HCS 245 April 16, 2014 University of Phoenix Dr. Tobey Tam Liver Cirrhosis As the Directors at the Sharp Rees Medical Facility, we will be talking about the liver. The liver is a very important organ in the human body as it does not just perform one function but is involved in multiple tasks. Some interesting facts about the liver; it weighs under five pounds, it has a shape like a half football and everyone is born with one. Just like most other disease or disorder, if the liver has not been taken care of properly there are many negative outcomes that can affect and destroy the liver. There are many complications when the liver is abused or damage for example cancer, hemochromatosis, gallbladder or even liver cirrhosis (Lee, 2014). We will be focusing more about liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis has been the 12th leading cause of death in the United States in 2010 (Murphy, Xu, & Kochenek, 2013). We will primarily focus on liver cirrhosis also known as Hepatitis C, provide you with general information as well as the possible solutions, data regarding the infected population and giving some resources/awareness about this disease. To start is to give information about liver cirrhosis. This disease causes the liver to be scarred and damaged. The liver is damaged with scar tissue in and around the liver as new cells are trying to restructure but instead they turn into regenerated nodules (Lee, 2014). The redeveloped nodules are what give...
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...The Road to Cirrhosis Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease that is characterized by normal liver cells being replaced by scar tissue. This affects the normal functioning of the liver and usually occurs from years of damage to the liver, resulting in inflammation, scarring and thickening of the fibrous tissues. It is most often a result of chronic hepatitis C or alcoholism, however there are other causes which will be discussed throughout this paper. Why is the liver important? More often than not, a person is born with a healthy, normally functioning liver. The liver is an extremely important organ and plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the human body. Among the most important functions of the liver are: processing nutrients from food, removing toxins from the body, helping to store sugar and releasing it into the blood as needed to maintain glucose levels, and producing bile for digestive purposes. The liver also plays a role in producing proteins, fat metabolism for producing energy, breaking down old damaged cells, and blood clotting. It is obvious to see that the liver has many important functions that a person’s body depends on. Cirrhosis of the liver can affect the normal functions of the liver, as well as the body’s normal homeostatic state. This can result in many problems, including death....
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...Papaya Seeds as a Treatment for Liver Cirrhosis Liver cirrhosis is a disease, usually caused by excessive alcohol consumption over many years, wherein the liver shrinks and becomes hardened. In this state it is ineffective at removing toxins from the body, leading to a variety of serious health problems. Papaya seeds are often reported as an effective treatment for liver cirrhosis. One method is to grind up around five dried seeds in a pepper grinder, or crush up fresh ones in a mortar and pestle, and mix them with a tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Drink this papaya seed treatment down twice a day for a month. Many cirrhosis sufferers have had dramatic improvements with this powerful natural remedy. The benefits of papaya seeds, with their high levels of digestive enzymes, antibacterial, anti-parasitic and liver regenerating properties are powerful. You don’t need many at a time, certainly not a whole fruit’s worth. After you scrape them out of a fresh fruit, it’s best to keep them in a sealed container in the fridge if you’re using them regularly, or in the freezer if only occasionally. Why Green Papaya is Better for Digestion Green fruit contain significantly more papaya enzyme than those that are fully ripened. That said, perhaps with the exception of green papaya salad, it’s not as appetizing for most people. Home remedies for cirrhosis of the liver * Papaya seeds are believed to be an excellent home remedy for cirrhosis of the liver. Take some papaya seeds and...
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...Liver Cirrhosis Jenna M. Keirn Institute of Technology Clovis Liver Cirrhosis What is liver cirrhosis? It is a chronic liver disease. By definition in Textbook of Basic Nursing ( Roshdal B. Caroline, Kowalski T. Mary) “ Cirrhosis is a chronic, degenerative disease of the parenchymal cells ( the normal architecture and functioning cells) of the liver.” When you have cirrhosis eventually it will get to the point where your liver can no longer do what it is supposed to do. If a patient has uncontrolled cirrhosis it can result in hepatorenal syndrome and hepatic coma. Eventually all body functions will deteriorate. According to Textbook of Basic Nursing (Roshdal B. Caroline, Kowalski T. Mary) “ Toxins absorbed by the GI tract...
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...problems, the health care providers must understand every aspect of the problems in order to provide the appropriate care. This includes understanding the pathophysiology, assessing the patient correctly, and reaching the goals of the plan. By following these steps, the patient will be provided the care he or she is entitled to. Obvious ascites with 3+ edema Ascites is the collection of fluid within the peritoneal cavity due to increased hydrostatic pressure from portal hypertension. Cirrhosis is the most common cause of ascites whereas ascites is the most common complication...
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...uptake/formation/breakdown/esterification/excretion of cholesterol. Formation of lipoproteins • Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism Formation of acetyl CoA from pantothenic acid, hydroxylation of vitamin D to 25‐OH D3, formation of 5‐methyl tetrahydrofolic acid, methylation of niacinamide, phosphorylation of pyridoxine, dephospsorylation of thiamin, formation of coenzyme B12 2. The CT scan and liver biopsy confirm the diagnosis of cirrhosis. What is cirrhosis? • Cirrhosis is any pathological condition where fibrous connective tissue replaces healthy tissue in an organ, usually as a consequence of inflammation or other injury. 3. The most common cause of cirrhosis is alcohol ingestion. What are additional causes of cirrhosis? What is the cause of this patient’s cirrhosis? • Other causes of cirrhosis are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, cryptogenic causes, autoimmune hepatitis, primary bilary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, type IV glycogen storage disease, chronic rightsided heart failure and hemochromatosis. • Ms. Wilcox’s cirrhosis is most likely caused from her Hepatitis C diagnosis. 4. Explain the physiological changes that occur as a result of...
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...Hepatic Encephalopathy Name________ Directions: Gender: Male Age: 47 Setting: Hospital Ethnicity: African American Preexisting Conditions: Cirrhosis secondary to alcohol hepatitis, hypertension, esophageal varices Coexisting Conditions: Disability: Unemployed (on disability) for past four years Socioeconomic: Married, father of two boys (ages 19 and 17 years old), history of drinking one quart of hard liquor each day for three years prior to diagnosis of cirrhosis Pharmacologic: Lactulose (Cephulac), neomycin sulfate (mycifradin sulfate) Client Profile: Mr. Escobar is a 47-year old male with a history of cirrhosis. He lives with his wife and teenage sons. His wife brought him to the emergency department today because she noticed that her husband had increasing confusion and lethargy and was having difficulty walking. His wife states, “ He is probably acting a little fun because he is sleep deprived. He hasn’t slept very much in the past few days.” Case Study: Mr. Escobar is afebrile. His blood pressure is 136/68, pulse 88, and respiratory rate 18. His oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. He is awake, alert, and oriented to person only. His speech is slow and he appears tired. The nurse notices a foul odor to his breath. Upon physical examination, he is found to have a slightly distended abdomen. The health care provider (HCP) does not note any asterixis. The HCP requests an abdominal ultrasound, which reveals fatty infiltration of the...
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...deterioration, and showing signs of cirrhosis, F.C. is in a very dangerous position. It is concerning that he was found to have a .18 BAC because this is a potentially fatal level of alcohol in the blood (Be Responsible About Drinking, 2013). Some common manifestations of alcoholic cirrhosis that F.C. may experience include weight loss, loss of appetite/energy, edema/ascites, mood changes, and jaundice (WebMD 2012). Of these symptoms, ascites and jaundice are both secondary from hepatocellular failure, and weight loss and ascites are also secondary symptoms to portal hypertension (Copstead, pgs. 756-759). Unfortunately, with cirrhosis and portal hypertension also typically comes gastric or esophageal varices. These varices are pathways that open up when portal pressure becomes too high in order to redirect the blood flow back to the heart. When these pressures rise and these varices open up, it leaves the lining beneath the mucosa very susceptible for rupture, leading to major bleeding. Since F.C. has already had several incidents with GI bleeding, he is at an even greater risk for re-bleeding (Copstead, pg. 761). F.C’s mental deterioration is most likely caused by a disorder called hepatic encephalopathy. When cirrhosis occurs, the parts of the liver cannot function the way that they are supposed to. Since once of the major jobs of the liver is to clean out, or “detox” the blood, this function can be inhibited or even stopped if cirrhosis becomes too severe. When the blood...
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...Chronic Liver Failure Alcohol Abuse & Cirrhosis Alcohol abuse is one of the most common causes of cirrhosis, and one of the leading causes of severe liver damage worldwide (Doig & Huether, 2010). It is interesting to note that alcoholic cirrhosis is responsible for 50-70% of all underlying liver pathologies in ACLF in the Western countries and only 15% in Asian countries (Kim & Kim, 2013). Strong alcohol odor, significantly high blood alcohol levels, lethargy, peripheral edema, ascites and abnormal protein levels are all signs of a patient’s chronic alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a potent hepatotoxin (Park et al., 2014). Liver has an essential function of de-toxifying alcohol and its toxic products. Two enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde...
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...properly metabolized by the liver. People with alcoholic cirrhosis are unable to store glucose as glycogen thereby remaining in the blood. Moreover, the glucose cannot be metabolized since cirrhosis destroys the pancreas, leading to insufficiency of insulin. Another symptom is excessive bruising as evident on the patient, which is a result of frequent falls when drunk and dysfunctional clotting. Blood clotting factors and platelets are usually made in the liver but in case of alcoholism, the liver is unable to function well to produce them thus blood fails to coagulate....
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...1. Ascites is the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity which could be a sign. In alcoholic cirrhosis, the portal vein becomes blocked, causing an increase in hydrostatic pressure. This leads to an increase in capillary hydrostatic pressure. Alcoholic cirrhosis also causes the liver to not produce enough albumin proteins. This lowers osmotic pressure in the vasculature, causing filtration out of the capillaries. The end effect is fluid leaking and gathering in the peritoneal cavity. Hepatomegaly can also be a sign. Alcohol abuse leads to liver scarring and swelling. The lower edge of the liver is normally not very palpable beneath the right lower ribcage, but as it swells it can be felt as an enlargement in the right upper quadrant...
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...Hepatitis C What is hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is a virus that can cause chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The virus is usually transmitted through blood or sexual contact. Some patients acquire the virus and develop acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver). In a subset of patients, the initial infection fails to clear and individuals advance to chronic hepatitis C infection. Chronic hepatitis C significantly increases the risk of progressive liver fibrosis (cirrhosis) and failure if left untreated. The risk of liver cancer is also increased. Patients with HCV of frequently co-infected with HIV – treatment of both frequently leads to better outcomes. The long-term consequences of chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis include...
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...transplant. This virus attacks the liver and can cause future issues such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. This virus is a concern because most people are unknowingly spreading it because they are often asymptomatic. According to Josiah Rich and Lynn Taylor, over 4 million people in the United States and 180 million people worldwide less than 3% are chronically affected. Hepatitis C is commonly spread through sharing of needles. The risk of transmission occurs is more likely if the person has a pre-existing virus such as HIV. According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) in 2013, a total of 2,138 cases of acute...
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...Liver Chemistry and Funstion Tests bilirubin metabolism- reticuloendothelial cells (spleen)- lipid soluble and virtually insoluble in water- unconjugated bilirubin + albumin- blood- space of Disse- enzyme UDP- conjugation with glucuronide- hydrophilic bilirubin- MRP2 (the only energy-dependent step)- colon+ bacteria- urobilinogen- stool or reabsorbrion- urine (small part)+ liver and re-excretion. MEASUREMENT OF SERUM BILIRUBIN Conjugated measured by direct reaction and total efter addition of reagent, unconjugated by calculation. Delta bilirubin- conjugated+albumin (half life of bilirubin like albumin 20d)- not secreted in urine- prolonged hyperbilirubunemia- explains prolonged hyperbilirubinemia dispite of resolution and absence of bilirubin in urine. CAUSE MECHANISM Ineffective Erythropoiesis Overproduction of bilirubin Indirect Hyperbilirubinemia Cobalamin deficiency Hemolytic Disorders Overproduction of bilirubin Folate deficiency Inherited Profound iron deficiency Red cell enzyme defects (e.g., glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency) Thalassemia Sickle cell disease Drugs: Rifampin, Probenecid Impaired hepatocellular uptake Spherocytosis and elliptocytosis Inherited ConditionsCrigler-Najjar syndrome types I and II Impaired conjugation of bilirubin Acquired Gilbert's syndrome Drugs and toxins Other Hypersplenism Hematoma Overproduction of bilirubin Immune mediated Direct Hyperbilirubinemia Paroxysmal...
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...Hepatitis B is a virus that is transmitted when infected body fluids enter the body of a non infected person. It can happen through sexual contact or by using needles that an infected person used. It can also be transmitted by an infected mother to an infant at the time she is giving birth and also can be vertically transmitted from father to infant. The hepatitis B virus can lead to other health issues, for example liver cancer or cirrhosis. This virus has become a global health problem and it has become one of the top ten causes of death. It is also one of the main causes of end-stage liver disease. There are currently three working therapies for chronic hepatitis B interferon, lamivudine, and adefovir dipivoxil. There is also a vaccine...
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