Symptoms of hepatic coma to death

Patients with severe liver disease are prone to coma due to severe damage to liver function, which is medically known as hepatic coma. For example, patients with advanced liver cirrhosis and fulminant hepatitis may develop hepatic coma when their condition is severe. When hepatic coma occurs, vital signs will often become weaker and weaker, which means that the disease has become terminal. Some people are issued a critical illness notice by the hospital shortly after they develop hepatic coma. Family members should be mentally prepared for this.

1. Causes of hepatic coma

Due to liver failure, the liver cannot detoxify some toxic substances (mainly ammonia) from the intestines. These toxic substances enter the blood circulation to the brain, causing dysfunction of the central nervous system, causing the patient to develop mental and neurological symptoms and even coma. There are also some inducing factors that can cause hepatic coma in patients with liver disease, such as massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding, ascites, large amounts of diuretics causing hypokalemia, taking sedatives, eating a high-protein diet, etc. These inducing factors can aggravate liver damage and promote coma.

2. Symptoms of early-stage liver cancer and late-stage hepatic coma

1. Early hepatic coma will cause changes in the patient's behavior. The patient will often speak quickly and excitedly, and sometimes appear indifferent and taciturn. The patient will also make his clothes disheveled, develop mental problems, urinate and defecate anywhere, and exhibit abnormal behavior.

2. The patient's thinking will be relatively confused, often making unclear statements, abnormal statements, and unclear words. He or she will be vague and confused about time, people, and places. Sometimes, he or she will experience hallucinations, fear, and irritability.

3. The patient’s mental state is not very good, and he may suffer from insomnia or daytime sleepiness and waking up in the morning.

3. Symptoms of late-stage liver cancer and late-stage hepatic coma

1. In the late stage of hepatic coma, patients experience involuntary shaking of both hands. They cannot keep balance when their upper limbs are placed on a horizontal line. They experience involuntary shaking up and down, and paroxysmal convulsions. They are also unconscious and may fall into a coma in severe cases. The EEG is also abnormal.

2. The patient has developed severe hepatitis. Patients with cirrhosis often have jaundice, ascites, spider nevi, liver palms, and skin hemorrhages.

3. The patient will also have a special odor. When the patient exhales, he will smell an odor similar to that of soil and rotten apples, which is called "liver odor."

According to liver disease experts, in the early stages of hepatic coma, some patients do not have typical clinical symptoms. Hepatic coma usually occurs in patients with cirrhosis in the late stages, or in liver failure. Hepatic coma is a precursor to the deterioration of hepatitis B, and is usually manifested by personality changes, decreased orientation and comprehension, inverted sleep rhythms, etc., which gradually lead to coma; or euphoria, hyperactivity, mania, and talkativeness are gradually suppressed and lead to coma. Clinical observations have shown that