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Chronic liver failure usually occurs in the context of cirrhosis, itself potentially the result of many possible causes, such as excessive alcohol intake, hepatitis B or C, autoimmune, hereditary and metabolic causes (such as iron or copper overload, steatohepatitis or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
Liver diseases, including conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), and viral hepatitis, are significant public health concerns worldwide. In the United States, NAFLD is the most common chronic liver condition, affecting approximately 24% of the population, with the prevalence rising due ...
Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is an acute condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced with scar tissue and regenerative nodules as a result of chronic liver disease.
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), [a] is a type of chronic liver disease. This condition is diagnosed when there is excessive fat build-up in the liver (hepatic steatosis), and at least one metabolic risk factor.
Liver diseases may be diagnosed by liver function tests–blood tests that can identify various markers. For example, acute-phase reactants are produced by the liver in response to injury or inflammation. The most common chronic liver disease is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects an estimated one-third of the world population. [59]
Acute liver failure is defined as "the rapid development of hepatocellular dysfunction, specifically coagulopathy and mental status changes (encephalopathy) in a patient without known prior liver disease". [23] page 1557
Other causes include: infiltrative liver diseases, granulomatous liver disease, abscess, amyloidosis of the liver and peripheral arterial disease. Mild elevation of ALP can be seen in liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, and congestive cardiac failure. Transient hyperphosphataemia is a benign condition in infants, and can reach normal level in 4 months.
Chronic liver disease takes several years to develop and the condition may not be recognised unless there is clinical awareness of subtle signs and investigation of abnormal liver function tests. Testing for chronic liver disease involves blood tests, imaging including ultrasound, and a biopsy of the liver. The liver biopsy is a simple ...