Liver Disease

Submitted By Ivonne-Avitia
Words: 4030
Pages: 17
Open Document
Liver: Largest internal organ and gland
Gerontologic Consideration of Liver Disease
Increase liver disease rate with age because of liver structure changes with age
Decrease liver volume – Because liver size will change with age
Decrease in hepatobilary function
Decrease drug metabolism: which increases the vulnerability for drug-induced hepatitis and increase risk for drug interactions
Decrease ability to respond to injury
Hepatitis
Most common cause for liver inflammation is viral infection
Acute Infection:
Inflammation causes damage liver cell and may develop into hepatic cell necrosis.
If there are no complications, the liver cells can regenerate and regain its normal appearance and function.
Chronic Infection:
Last longer than 6 months
May persist for years
Continuous inflammation and damage done to the liver will slowly develop into liver cirrhosis, then liver failure, and then liver cancer.
Clinical Manifestations:
Acute Phase: 1-4 Months: Icteric Phase
Jaundice begins
Clay Color stools
Convalescence Phase: Post-Icteric phase (healing phase)
Jaundice starts to disappear
Last about 2-4 months.
Major complaint is easy fatigue and malaise.
Priority Nursing Diagnosis:
Activity Intolerance r/t decrease physical energy and strength.

Recovery Phase: Most patients recover completely
Chronic Infection/Condition:
Develops into: Chronic hepatitis, Cirrhosis, Hepatic Failure, Heptocellular cancer
Assessment:
Health History:
Medications: Some medications that can be toxic to the liver
Physical Assessment:
Normal liver cannot be palpated
Percussion is used to determine if the liver is normal size. (8 to 10cm)
Diagnosis:
Liver Enzyme:
Elevated ALT and GTT
Alk Phos will be elevated.
Damaged liver cells release alk. Phos. Enzymes
Protein will be decrased because the liver is unable to produce the proteins
Increase Bilirubin
Indirect or unconjugated bilirubin
Prolonged prothrombin time (increase clotting time): because the liver is unable to produce clotting factors.
*IMPORTANT CONCEPT* RBC are broken down, broken down in 3 pieces , globin, iron, heme. Heme will be further broken down into greenish pigment call biliverdin, quickly converted to yellow pigment call bilirubin. This bilirubin is known as indirect /Unconjugated bilirubin(In the blood). This bilirubin will go into the liver by binding with albumin(transporter), and once it enters the liver, it will mix with glucuronic acid. The glucuronic acid will make the indirect/unconjugated bilirubin into more solid form call direct/conjugated bilirubin. Will go back into the biliary system and mix with bile and use the biles for digestive process.
*If you understand the concept, then you understand how this works* That is why patients with hepatitis will have elevated indirect/unconjugated bilirubin because the liver cannot process all that unconjugated bilirubin, and that is also why the patient has clay color stools. This is also why the person looks jaundice.

Patient who have uncompatable blood transfusion will have pre-hepatic jaundice
Patient who has viral hepatitis or cirrhosis will have hepatic jaundice
Patient who problems with the biliary system(gallbladder and pancreas), they will have First-Hepatic Jaundice.
General Home Care:
Not everyone goes to hospital when they have mild or moderate case of hepatitis and go through home remedy.
Rest
Well Balanced Diet
Low Fat, High carbohydrate, High Protein
Maintain fluid & electrolyte balance
Vitamin supplement: B-Complex(help regenerate liver tissues)
Viral Hepatitis
6 types of hepatitis virus: A-E, & G
To determine which viral antibody a patient has, it will depend on what antigen and antibodies are found in the system.
Hepatitis A(HAV)
Transmitted through fecal to oral route (touching feces, putting it in the mouth)
37% of outbreaks of HepA are from eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.
Risk Factors:
Poor hygiene
Improper handling of foods
Show More

Related Documents: Liver Disease

Answers Labs 3 4 5 BloodVessels Essays

Pearson Education, Inc. M32_MARI0000_00_SE_CH32.qxd 3/29/11 1:17 PM Page 200 Major Systemic Arteries and Veins of the Body 5. Use the key on the right to identify the arteries or veins described on the left. d 1. the arterial system has one of these; the venous system has two i 2. these arteries supply the myocardium r , z o 3. two paired arteries serving the brain 4. longest vein in the lower limb Key: a. anterior tibial b. basilic c. brachial d. brachiocephalic e. celiac trunk…

Words 1725 - Pages 7

The Role of the Liver Essay

supplying the liver. The hepatic artery carries oxygenated blood from the aorta. The hepatic portal vein carries nutrient-rich deoxygenated blood from the stomach, intestines, spleen, and pancreas. In the liver, both the hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein branch off and surround each lobule. Each set of hepatic artery and hepatic portal vein branches connected to the hepatic vein via a blood vessel called a sinusoid which runs centrally through each liver lobule. The hepatic vein ultimately drains…

Words 1459 - Pages 6

voyage week 4 Essay

Urgent Alert! The body’s internal alarm system has been activated. Top of Form Bottom of Form Calling all Antigens! Class that’s us, “It is Bacteria Fighting Time!” (Small speech from the teacher): “Today we embark on our biggest mission yet, as we bravely set out to conquer one of our biggest enemies, “The Bacteria”. We have just received a dire distress call from Christine’s body, “The Bacteria” has penetrated through the body’s defense system and has been detected at the Lower Lobe of…

Words 2540 - Pages 11

Anatomy and Major function of Circulatory System Essays

Anatomy and Major function of Circulatory System Circulatory system consists of 2 circuits: Pulmonary – heart to lungs; Systemic – heart to rest of body (left A/V = oxygenated; Right A/V = deoxygenated) Pericardial Cavity – space b/w thoracic cavity and the heart to ensure it properly perform all its functions At Left Atrium: Pulmonary Trunk Aorta  ascending, arch, and descending; arch has 3 exits: Brachiocephalic Trunk, Left Carotid, Subclavian Left & Right Pulmonary Arteries carry blood to…

Words 408 - Pages 2

Health and Medicine Essay

AP2- Ex4 – Possible essays: Digestion and Metabolism Directions: Essay. Read and follow directions incorporated into each question. Ask for assistance if you do not fully understand directions or questions. Answers are to be written IN BLUE OR BLACK INK; limit answers to the spaces provided. 1. For each term or phrase presented, write (a) the definition AND (b) briefly state the importance of the structure or term (in physiology). Use one (1) well-written, concise, complete sentence for…

Words 310 - Pages 2

Essay about Pathophysiology 3 Assign

This disease is common and affects more than 500 million people worldwide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012 p. 10). In CVH, the viruses seemingly live and continue to reproduce in the liver for years or even decades until the patients’ immune system is rendered incapable of getting rid of the virus. Ultimately, the virus results in a chronic inflammation of the liver and potentially; cirrhosis, liver failure or hepatocellular cancer. It is also the principle cause for liver transplant in adults…

Words 2450 - Pages 10

Essay on The Liver

healthy individual, the liver carries out its responsibilities and provides nutrient rich blood through its dual blood supply via the portal vein and the hepatic artery. When the liver becomes damaged or is no longer able to filter, liver failure occurs. “Portal hypertension is characterized by increased resistance to flow in the portal venous system and the sustained increased in portal venous pressure; the consequences are ascites, the formation of collateral bypass channels from the portosystemic…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Why Typing is Usefun Essay

typing is useful because it helps people do things easier. it helps people because it just does and what if someone didnt have good handwriting that would be very rude to others ok. Portal or nutritional cirrhosis is the form of the disease most common in the United States. About 30-50% of all cases of cirrhosis are this type. Nine out of every 10 people who have nutritional cirrhosis have a history of alcoholism. Portal or nutritional cirrhosis is also called Laënnec's cirrhosis. Biliary cirrhosis…

Words 4872 - Pages 20

Anatomy & Physiology Essay

are now being absorbed in to the blood, and the veins from ileum are now draining into superior mesenteric vein. Superior mesenteric vein and the splenic vein then combine and form hepatic portal vein where it leads to the liver. The portal venous system located in the liver is delivering blood to the capillary system. From there, blood is now flowing up into the inferior vena cava and to the right atrium, from there down to the right ventricle and then down to the pulmonary artery and then last…

Words 368 - Pages 2

Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study

(Karch, 2013). The cardiovascular effects of the medications used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease include bradycardia, heart block, hypotension, and even cardiac arrest, due to the cardiac suppressing effects of the parasympathetic nervous system (Karch, 2013). These drugs can stimulate the bladder muscles, causing sphincter relaxation and can lead to urinary urgency. The CNS cholinergic effects include miosis and blurred vision, headache, dizziness, and drowsiness. The most important drug-drug…

Words 1486 - Pages 6