Portal Hypertension Paper

One of these symptoms is jaundice, which is characterized by yellowish skin and eyes because of an inability of the liver to remove bilirubin from the blood. Patient with cirrhosis also suffering from itching, due to deposited bile's products in the skin. This patient also suffers from accumulation of fluid in legs that is called edema. As a result of the blockage of blood flow via the liver, fluid accumulation in abdomen which is worsen by the decrease in protein production. Other symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss and nausea. As the disease progress, complications may develop ,such as varices that happens with cirrhosis patient when the blood flow through the liver slows, so the blood from intestine go back to the vessels of the stomach and esophagus, these vessels are not meant to carry this much of blood so they dilate (varices), with increasing

* Hepatorenal Syndrome: defined as a rapid deterioration in kidney function that manifests from an acute insult to the liver. Changes in blood flow due to decreased kidney function causes toxins to begin impairment of the kidneys since the liver cannot kill off the toxins before-hand. This condition is considered secondary to portal hypertension for this reason.

Cirrhosis is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States and the thirteenth leading cause of death worldwide.1 Cirrhosis is the irreversible fibrosis of the liver characterized by hepatic architectural distortion secondary to fibrous tissue and the formation of regenerative nodules.2 These anatomical changes cause hepatic vascular resistance and an increase in blood flow leading to portal hypertension. Porto-systemic collaterals develop in order to overcome the increased portal pressure gradient.3 Nitric oxide, an endogenous vasodilator is also released in effort to overcome portal pressure with the expense of causing systemic vasodilation and a decrease in blood pressure. As a result, a marked activation of neurohumoral vasoactive factors occurs in an effort to maintain an effective arterial blood pressure. Hypervolemia, increased cardiac index, decreased systemic vascular resistance, and systemic hypotension are manifestations of portal hypertension.3 Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), alcoholism, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are all major causes of cirrhosis.

In the presented case scenario, we have Mr. Gil Martin who is a 55-year-old Hispanic male. He comes in to the clinic today with complaints of weakness, fatigue, and loss of appetite. A student nurse will be precepting your assessment of Mr. Martin and when collecting subjective and objective data it is important to pay close detail to all findings. Ultimately this patient was diagnosis with cirrhosis, which is an abnormal liver condition that leads to irreversible scarring of the liver (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2017), so during assessment we should pay attention to details leading to this diagnosis.

d. The portal circulatory system brings venous blood from the GI tract into the liver.

This case study is about Abdul Chidiac, a 51 year old male, married with 4 children. He had a medical history of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and cirrhosis with two admissions in the last six months. He is a smoker and drinks beer, 5-6 bottles per day. As Carithers & McClain (2010) explained the patient’s medical history is another indicator of the risk for cirrhosis; the progression to cirrhosis is adaptable and may take time over weeks or many years. Cirrhosis is a liver disease characterized by permanent scarring of the

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional renal impairment occurring in patients with advanced acute or chronic liver disease. It develops as a result of severe renal hypoperfusion secondary to splanchnic arterial vasodilatation. Arterial vasodilatation leads to a decrease in the effective blood volume, thus multiple activations of vasoactive systems; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system [RAAS], antidiuretic hormone [ADH] release, and stimulation of sympathetic nervous system & consequently, renal vasoconstriction [1].

But cirrhosis slows the normal flow of blood through the portal vein, which increases the pressure inside.

Additionally, many chronic liver diseases can lead to cirrhosis. For example, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to cirrhosis and is associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hereditary metabolic disorders such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease can also lead to cirrhosis (McCance & Heuther, 2014). It seems the cause of cirrhosis is multifaceted. Additionally, many diseases can lead to cirrhosis and it is understandable why the etiology of cirrhosis has not been parsed out, especially because the cause can differ from a

Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. Cirrhosis affects one of the largest organs in the body, the liver. It is a condition that slowly worsens the liver and is unable to function normally due to chronic injury. Cirrhosis consists of four stages with the fourth stage being the most advanced stage of cirrhosis. When healthy liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar tissue (fibrosis) it’s known as a degenerative disease called cirrhosis. Chronic alcoholism is the leading cause of cirrhosis due to excessive drinking of alcohol, which causes the liver to swell. In sequence with alcoholism and hepatitis C, or alone obesity can be a risk factor in developing cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that can affect many individuals if the condition is not caught in early stages it can become deadly.

Cirrhosis is a condition of scarring of the liver which is caused when the liver has tried repairing itself following damage. This damage may come from a previous infection, such as from a form of hepatitis (usually hepatitis C) or damage done by the use of toxins, such as alcohol. Cirrhosis is irreversible but future damage can be slowed or prevented by treating the underlying cause.

Alcohol abuse and hepatitis B and C are the most common causes of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can cause weakness, loss of appetite, jaundice, itching, and fatigue, and can be diagnosed by blood tests, physical examinations, and a liver biopsy. There are many complications of cirrhosis, such as edema and ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, portal vein hypertension, hepatorenal and hepatopulmonary syndrome, hypersplenism, and liver cancer. One of the most common treatments of cirrhosis is a liver transplant. However, alcoholics have to be sober for six months to prove that they are serious about taking care of their new liver and staying sober after the

The liver is the largest gland and second largest organ in the human body. It is also the only internal organ capable of regeneration following injury. Located in the abdominal cavity, this reddish brown organ is divided into lobes of different size and shape. The liver plays a critical role in metabolism, digestion, elimination, and detoxification, among other processes. This organ performs a surprisingly large number of functions that influence virtually all other body systems. This is why diseases of the liver can be so devastating. One class of chronic diseases affecting the liver is cirrhosis. (Kasper, 2008)

Cirrhosis is known as a chronic disease of the liver. Cirrhosis usually develops when the scar tissue replaces normal, healthy tissue in the liver. It tends to happen whenever healthy cells are damaged over a long amount of time, usually for many years. However, the scar tissue makes the liver lumpy and hard, after a while, the organs will start to fail and the scar tissue makes it tough for the blood to get through a large vein (the portal vein) that goes into the liver. Occasionally when the blood backs up into the portal vein, it can get into the spleen (an abdominal organ involved in the production and removal of blood cells) and can really cause trouble. What causes this is other liver conditions or diseases the person may already have, which includes an (alcohol-related liver disease) by drinking too much alcohol for many years non-stop. It causes fat and inflammation in the liver. The amount of alcohol that it takes to hurt the liver is different for everyone.

The article I chose to review regarding my patient’s diagnosis discussed several studies looking at the effects of splenectomy on liver volume and function, and prognosis of cirrhosis in patients with esophageal varices. These studies were quite interesting considering my patient’s history of splenectomy, liver cirrhosis, and esophageal varices. Changes in hepatic function, splenic function, and liver volume were evaluated, as well as each patient’s probability of increased survival rate. Results showed that restoration of liver function accelerated over time once a splenectomy had been performed. No patient in the studies had any serious complications, such as severe infection as a result of splenectomy. The two groups showed no significant