How does liver failure progress?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is expertly consulted by a Doctor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
Liver failure occurs when a large part of the liver is damaged after being treated and the liver is no longer able to recover and function properly. Liver failure is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent medical attention. Usually, liver failure occurs gradually and over many years. However, a rarer case called acute liver failure happens quickly (in just 48 hours) and early signs can be difficult to spot.

1. Causes of liver failure

Chronic liver failure: The most common causes of chronic liver failure (in which the liver declines over months to years) include:
Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Chronic alcohol consumption Cirrhosis Iron overload or Hemochromatosis is a disorder caused by the absorption of too much iron from the foods you consume, resulting in too much iron concentration in the blood. It can cause serious health problems when your body doesn't have the mechanisms to get rid of excess iron. Excess iron will accumulate in the liver, heart, pancreas, joints. Accumulation of iron will cause damage in these organs. Malnutrition Acute liver failure: The causes of acute liver failure, however, when the liver fails rapidly, are often different. These include:
Paracetamol aka Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Overdose Viruses including hepatitis A, B and C viruses (especially in children) Reactions to certain prescription drugs and herbs Ingesting mushrooms poison

2. Stages leading to liver failure

Damage from liver disease can accumulate over several stages, which increasingly affects the liver's ability to function.

2.1. Hepatitis

During this early stage, the patient's liver becomes enlarged or inflamed. Many people have hepatitis without any symptoms. If the inflammation continues without treatment, permanent damage can occur.

2.2. Fibrosis

Liver fibrosis occurs when an inflamed liver begins to cause scarring. These scar tissue grows and gradually replaces healthy liver tissue, but these scar tissue cannot perform the functions of normal liver cells. Leads to begin to affect the patient's liver function. Fibrosis can be difficult to detect because at this stage healthy cells can still compensate for the loss of function. However, these damaged cells continue to replace healthy cells because they cannot restore function on their own.

2.3. Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis causes liver dysfunction in part because healthy liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissues. The degree of liver fibrosis at this stage is much higher than that of cirrhosis, causing the liver to lose most of its inherent function. The remaining normal liver cells will have to work harder to replace the cirrhosis, leading to overload, more and more stagnant toxins, causing liver cells to gradually be damaged and move to the fibrosis stage. .
The symptoms of this stage of cirrhosis are quite obvious such as the patient feels body aches, the patient has begun to appear swollen limbs and gradually spreads to the whole body.
Signs of liver failure at onset include:
Nausea Loss of appetite Tiredness Diarrhea However, as liver failure progresses, symptoms become more severe, requiring urgent care. These symptoms include:
Jaundice Easy bleeding Abdominal swelling Hepatic encephalopathy, also known as hepatic encephalopathy, is a very dangerous complication of cirrhosis. Hepatic encephalopathy is a disorder of consciousness and behavior, leading to a coma due to impaired liver function. According to pathophysiology, this is considered a metabolic disorder of the central nervous system because toxins in the body are not metabolized and eliminated because of weak liver function. Drowsiness Coma

2.4. End stage liver disease (ESLD)

End stage cirrhosis at this time the liver is no longer functional, the disease is getting worse and worse. At this stage of cirrhosis, the liver has completely lost its function and the patient must now face other pathological symptoms or manifestations of complications caused by cirrhosis.
End-stage cirrhosis is associated with complications such as ascites and hepatic encephalopathy. This condition cannot be reversed with treatments other than a liver transplant.

2.5. Liver Cancer

Cancer is the growth and multiplication of unhealthy cells. When cancer develops in the liver, it is called primary liver cancer. Although cancer can occur at any stage of liver failure, people with cirrhosis have a higher risk of developing liver cancer. Some common symptoms of liver cancer include:
Unexplained weight loss Abdominal pain or swelling Loss of appetite or feeling full after eating small amounts of food Nausea or vomiting Jaundice and yellow eyes Itching skin

3. How to treat liver failure?

If liver failure is diagnosed and detected early, acute liver failure from acetaminophen overdose can sometimes be treated and reversed. Likewise, if the virus is causing liver failure, hospital care can be given to treat the symptoms until the virus stops working. In these cases, the liver can sometimes repair itself.
For liver failure that is the result of long-term deterioration, the initial goal of treatment may be to save any part of the liver that is still functioning. If the treatment cannot improve the patient's condition anymore, the last resort is that the patient needs a liver transplant.
Vinmec Times City International General Hospital is the first private hospital in Vietnam with successful liver transplantation, mastering the most difficult techniques in the field of organ transplantation. Currently, the demand for tissue and organ transplants, including liver transplants in Vietnam is very large and rapidly increasing. Therefore, Vinmec's mastery of the most difficult technique in the field of organ transplantation has opened up new hopes and options for people in the country.

4. How to prevent liver failure?

The best way to prevent liver failure is to limit your risk of cirrhosis or hepatitis. Here are some tips to help prevent these diseases:
Get a hepatitis vaccine or an immunoglobulin shot to prevent hepatitis A or B. Eat a healthy diet from all the food groups. Drink alcohol in moderation. Avoid drinking alcohol while using acetaminophen (Tylenol). Practice proper hygiene. Since germs are often spread by hands, wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom. Also, wash your hands before touching cooked or raw food. Do not touch blood or blood products directly with bare hands. Do not share any personal hygiene items with others, including toothbrushes and razors. If you want to get a tattoo or body piercing, make sure that the conditions are sanitary and that all equipment performing these techniques is disinfected/sterilized. Use condoms when having sex. If using illegal intravenous drugs, be sure not to share needles with anyone.

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References: Webmd.com and Healthline.com