Causes Of Acute Liver Failure

If you have this infection, you have inflammation in your liver that's caused by a virus. You don't always get symptoms, but when you do, you might have:

The most common liver infection is Hepatitis B, which is a potentially life threatening infection that is caused by the Hepatitis B Virus. “Hepatitis B is a DNA virus belonging to the hepadnaviridae family of viruses.” It originally infected birds many years ago when dinosaurs still roamed the planet. Paleovirology is the study of ancient viruses, which gives the ability to reconstruct viral ancestors to learn more about them. Mesozoic-era HBV is similar to the HBV that infects people today. Hepatitis B may cause cirrhosis or liver cancer. The liver is the second largest organ in the body, it is located underneath the rib cage. The liver processes anything that is being digested into energy and nutrients into the body. The liver also removes harmful substances from the blood. The body’s immune system responds by attempting to eliminate the virus which than causes injury to the liver. Approximately two billion people in the world has had evidence of the virus, and 2.2 billion people in the United States are chronically infected. Majority of these individuals are carriers which means they appear healthy, but may still be able to spread the virus to others. When discussing a serious

Hepatitis B is the most common liver infection in the world and is caused by the hepatitis b virus. The hepatitis b virus enters the body and travels to the liver via the bloodstream. In the liver the virus attacks the healthy liver cells and then multiplies. The cells create copies of them selves and the multiplying of the virus cells then triggers a response from the bodies’ immune system. Most people at this stage of the virus are unaware the have the virus as there are no symptoms that can be seen or felt. Hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis (scaring of the liver), liver cancer or liver failure if not treated quickly enough. Some signs and symptoms of hepatitis include abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, joint pain, loss

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is most commonly caused by viruses, and can cause your liver to become inflamed, swollen and tender. The symptoms of Hepatitis start out like the flu with coughing, fever, aches, and vomiting. However, the disease gradually worsens with symptoms of extreme weakness and excruciating abdominal pain. Never the less, Hepatitis can also be caused by alcohol and some other toxins and infections. There are many forms of Hepatitis; the most commonly seen forms are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis c. Furthermore, Worldwide, 500 million people are estimated to be infected with Hepatitis B or C. These viruses kill 1.5 million people a year; 1 in every 3 people has been exposed to either or both viruses and most infected people do not know about it due to dormant symptoms.

A sudden and dramatic liver transaminase elevation in relation to cardiogenic shock correlates extensive hepatocellular necrosis called ischemic hepatitis (Crespo- Leiro et al., 2008).

Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the virus called Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Hepatitis C can be acute and chronic, it is an asymptomatic disease, but a chronic infection can be life threatening and cause serious health complications in the future and eventually death. Many are unaware of this infection; the life threatening health risk involves liver damage, end- stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma and even death. It 's been estimated that in the United States 2.7 million people are infected with chronic HCV, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 3.2 million (Ditah, 2010). The infected population are primarily in their fifties and sixties, born between 1945 and 1965. One attributable cause is believed to be the transmission of the contaminated blood through organ transplants and drug injections. It is expected that compensated cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) will increase by over 80 percent from the year 2000 to the year 2020. Over the same period, it is estimated that decompensated cirrhosis would increase over 100 percent and that liver-related deaths would increase by 181 percent (Davis GL, Albright JE, 2003).

Fulminant hepatic failure is also called "FHF" or acute liver failure. The word "hepatic" refers to the liver; "fulminant" means to strike suddenly. It happens when liver cells are injured and die. These liver cells are replaced by scar tissue instead of normal liver cells; this continues until there are not enough liver cells to do their job. Not only does fulminant hepatic failure interfere with liver function; it also has secondary effects on other organ systems. It can affect the brain, causing encephalopathy within two to twelve weeks.

Chronic Hepatitis B is an infection that affects the liver, and if this disease is allowed in its progression, it can cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. It is a worldwide problem that does not have a cure. This virus affects an estimated 400 billion people, and the number is growing at a rapid rate. It will kill approximately 25% of people who do not get treatment. In China, approximately 60% of the population have a history of HBV infection, and about 7% to 10% of the population have the disease. They are at high risk of having liver disease. Currently, there are few available drugs that can manage this epidemic, such as interferon-alfa, nucleos(t)ide analogue polymerase inhibitors,

In this article in Medical News Today Ohio State University is developing technology for keeping liver cells alive and functioning normally inside bioartificial liver assist devices (BLAD). These devices allow people who are suffering from liver failure to survive while their own liver cells regenerate, or receive a liver transplant. The person's blood or plasma circulates through the device . Andre Palmer a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State developed a way to chemically modify and package hemoglobin, which is red blood cells that transports oxygen to liver cells in order for them to survive. The body's liver cells are naturally exposed to a different oxygen concentrations called oxygen gradient. Reproducing that oxygen gradient inside bioartificial liver assist device is difficult. In his experiment his solution for producing this gradient has been to create different kinds of hemoglobin .

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis infection, which are the two major types of hepatitis C. Ranging in seriousness from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a major illness that can last a lifetime, hepatitis c often leads to inflammation of the liver. It is a problem in the United States and worldwide, mostly affecting Africa and Central and East Asia. HCV is responsible for 500,000 liver related deaths each year, is the most common bloodborne pathogen, and is a leading cause of liver transplantation. More than 4 million people in the Unites States are infected and most are not even aware of their diagnosis. Also, death due to HCV infection is the most

The human body has paired kidneys at the back of the abdominal wall. The kidneys play an important role in filtering blood, removing wastes and maintaining the body’s electrolyte and fluid balance by means of creating urine. Kidneys also play a crucial duty in producing red blood cells and regulating blood pressure by the secretion of hormones (Huether & McCance, 2012). Kidney function is vital for life and the disruption of function could be detrimental to one’s health.

• Hepatotropic viruses. Hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B infections and hepatitis E can cause liver failure. HAV & HBV infections are major causes of liver failure in many parts of world including India and developing countries. Hepatitis E is a leading cause of liver failure in India but rarely seen in western countries.

One potentially crucial source of infection that links to this disease is countries with high endemicity to areas that have low rates of infection. The virus duplicates in the liver and is defecated into the bile after ingestion and uptake from the gastrointestinal tract. Cellular immune counters to the virus induce to the demolition of infected hepatocytes with resultant growth of symptoms and indications of disease. The disease is often asymptomatic in young

Even though the liver has the ability to react to damage and can repair itself, repetitive insults can produce liver failure or deadly diseases, infections, and disorders. A few such diseases are viral hepatitis, yellow fever, and rubella. Some of the disease caused by bacteria are amebic dysentery, leptospirosis, and streptococcal infections. These diseases can fatally damage the liver.

8. “One out of every 10 Americans is affected by liver disease. Liver disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. The liver supports almost every organ in the body and is vital for survival. Because of its location and many functions, the liver is prone to many diseases. There are over 100 liver diseases. The liver is necessary for survival; currently there is no way for the body to compensate for the absence of a functioning liver in the long term, although liver dialysis techniques can be used in the short term. The liver does have a great capacity to regenerate and has a large reserve