What’s acute liver failure?

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Acute liver failure is the rapid onset of liver failure in a patient, with a decline in liver function over a few days. This condition is a medical emergency and the patient will need to be hospitalized for treatment. The prognosis varies depending on the cause, how quickly the condition is diagnosed, and the type of treatment available to the patient. Working with specialists such as hepatologists can improve the patient’s chances, as these clinical professionals have extensive experience treating people with liver failure.

This condition is relatively rare. Most commonly, patients have chronic illnesses such as alcoholism or hepatitis infection that lead to a slow decline in liver function. These dips can be traced over months to years and are accompanied by other health problems such as jaundice, leaving plenty of time for medical intervention. In acute liver failure, symptoms develop rapidly and the patient usually has no history of chronic liver disease, although patients with such diseases sometimes develop acute liver failure.

Adverse drug reactions, along with drug overdoses, are common causes of acute liver failure. Patients with this condition have severely compromised livers that simply stop working. Their bodies are no longer able to synthesize many key proteins and they often develop coagulopathies and encephalopathies, causing cognitive deficits and an altered level of consciousness.

The blood test will reveal abnormal blood chemistry, reflecting problems with liver function, and the patient may also have physical symptoms such as jaundice. Acute liver failure can lead to the failure of other organs, as the decline in liver function disrupts metabolic processes and other body organs can no longer function normally. Changes in personality and consciousness are also a key component of acute liver failure.

Treatment is based on determining the cause, providing supportive care to the patient, and transplantation in extreme cases where it is clear the patient’s liver will not recover. Medications are available to address adverse drug reactions, and patients may be placed on ventilators if they cannot breathe on their own, as well as receive other therapies designed to address the symptoms of liver failure.

Drugs with a known risk of triggering adverse reactions such as acute liver failure typically come with strong warnings, alerting patients to the risk and providing advice on how to take the drug safely. Sometimes just a small dose will trigger liver failure, and patients should heed early warning signs of problematic side effects.

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