Liver failure

The liver is a large organ in the human body. The "large" here does not refer to its large size. It means that the liver has a large function and plays a great role in our body, which cannot be replaced by any other organ. The liver is mainly responsible for the body's metabolic function and can store glycogen. In addition, it can also synthesize protein, secrete bile, etc. The liver is so important, but in reality many people still do not pay attention to protecting the liver, which can cause liver failure in the long run.

The so-called liver failure actually refers to the serious damage to the liver cells of the body due to various reasons, which causes the body's functions to become disordered, and in severe cases even causes irreversible damage. So, let’s talk in detail about the clinical manifestations and treatment of liver failure.

First, let’s talk about the clinical manifestations of liver failure:

1. Hepatic encephalopathy, also known as hepatic coma, is the most characteristic manifestation of liver failure[1]. In the early stages, there are behavioral and personality changes, inability to answer questions correctly, decreased directional and calculation abilities, and gradually develop into excitement or drowsiness, flutter-like tremors, abnormal EEG, and eventually coma.

2. Jaundice: The urine color starts to darken, and soon the skin, mucous membranes and sclera turn yellow and deepen rapidly. Due to massive necrosis of hepatocytes, the liver may shrink rapidly, and the boundaries of liver dullness may shrink during percussion, which can be further confirmed by B-type ultrasound examination. There is a musty odor in the patient's exhaled breath, namely liver odor, the intensity of which is consistent with the degree of liver cell necrosis.

3. Bleeding. Due to the dysfunction of the liver in producing coagulation factors and the activation of the coagulation system by endotoxemia, skin bleeding spots, ecchymosis, hematemesis, bloody stools, epistaxis, etc. may occur.

4. Brain edema and pulmonary edema may be related to inappropriate large-scale fluid replacement and hypoxia, which can easily cause brain herniation and respiratory failure.

5. Ascites. Portal hypertension, decreased plasma albumin and other factors can cause 30% of patients to have small to moderate amounts of ascites.

In addition, liver failure may also lead to serious complications such as secondary infection, hepatorenal syndrome, and shock. Chronic liver failure occurs on the basis of chronic active liver disease. It generally has various manifestations of the original chronic liver disease and may gradually lead to liver failure. Signs of liver failure may also appear suddenly during the course of the disease due to certain liver-damaging factors.

Regarding the treatment of liver failure, there are two main methods in medicine now: traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. In fact, the best is to use traditional Chinese medicine, because Western medicine can easily cause side effects, and sometimes it cannot cure the disease, and it only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Traditional Chinese medicine does the opposite. Once symptoms of liver failure appear, treatment should be sought as soon as possible. If the condition is serious, liver transplantation should be performed promptly.