What is Acute Liver Failure? What are the Symptoms and Treatment Methods?

What is Liver Failure?

Liver failure, which has an important role for the body, is a life-threatening disease because it can no longer function as before. It requires medical care as quickly as possible. It often occurs over time due to various liver diseases such as cirrhosis, hepatitis C and B, inflammation or fibrosis.

Liver disease that develops as a result of these diseases is called chronic liver failure. Liver failure may not show any symptoms or reaction until the last stages. Excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, nausea, weakness, yellowness of the eyes and skin, edema in the legs and itching in some limbs are the most prominent symptoms.

In general, the patient's recovery is possible by early diagnosis and by taking it under control with a systematic treatment. However, it should be reminded that people with delayed, end-stage liver disease or cirrhosis may need a liver transplant. Although liver failure often occurs slowly, it can sometimes manifest itself quite rapidly, that is, acutely, within a few days.

What is Acute Liver Failure?

It is called loss of function in the liver that develops unexpectedly in people who do not have any liver problems or complaints. This situation is very rare in general.

Although the patient does not have a history of liver disease, it may occur. Sickness can occur within weeks or even days. Overdose is evident in people who are on drug therapy or in cases such as intense poisoning.

What are the symptoms?

We have compiled the most common symptoms that cause acute liver failure. So how do you know you have acute liver failure?

• It may occur if you experience a reaction such as poisoning due to drugs taken after high levels of alcohol you use, or a drug with paracetamol content that you take during your diet periods, or if you take the paracetamol drug in an overdose way.
• Wilson's disease, poisoning after eating herb, mushrooms, solvents, sunstroke, pregnancy and Reye's syndrome can cause this disease.
• Allergic reactions to drugs used in anesthesia, some antibiotic drugs, drugs that cause variability in heart rhythm, drugs for menopause treatment, drugs used in the treatment of hypertension and alcohol can also cause this liver failure.
• It may be due to the entry of viruses such as hepatitis B, A, E, D or C into the body or being a carrier.
• As a result of the therapeutic methods such as chemotherapy and immunosuppressive, the immune system is sensitive to some viruses, a special virus entering the body can also cause acute liver failure.

How is the Treatment Process?

First of all, for the treatment of this disease, the patient's history is taken and a physical medical examination is performed. The patient's story is really important here. If there is no problem, eye, abdominal and neurological examinations are performed to detect the disease. If the stage of the disease is determined, treatment methods are started. So, what are these treatment methods?

• Ensuring the follow-up of the intensive care unit.
• The issue of sensitivity of signs of encephalopathy is taken into account and the patient is actively monitored.
• Urine output every hour, blood sugar and vital functions should be monitored.
• Serums are checked once a day.
• Blood tests that take place every day, creatinine levels in the blood should be requested, values ​​such as albumin, blood coagulation and prothrombin should be measured.
• In addition, pressure sores are also prevented.