General Information About Liver Failure
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the widespread damage and breakdown of the liver, the body's factory, to the point where it can no longer perform its duties of filtering blood and producing proteins.
Acute Failure: It is the sudden breakdown of a healthy liver within days due to poisonous mushrooms, an overdose (medication), or acute hepatitis.
Chronic Failure: It is the slow failure process over years due to cirrhosis or alcoholism.
Intense jaundice in the eyes and skin (icterus), reduced urine output, unstoppable nose/gum bleeding, fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites), and extreme fatigue.
The liver cannot clear toxic wastes like ammonia coming from the intestines. These toxins mix into the blood, reach the brain, and cause forgetfulness, sleepiness, personality changes, and ultimately coma in the patient.
In blood tests, elevated liver enzymes, high bilirubin, and a highly prolonged clotting time (PT/INR) support failure. The patient's neurological status and clinical picture (jaundice/bleeding) confirm the diagnosis.
In acute failures due to poisoning, an antidote is used, and the blood is cleaned. If the organ has completely failed, providing temporary support with a machine (dialysis-like systems) and performing an emergency Liver Transplant (from a cadaver or a living donor) on the patient is mandatory.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
