19 Autoimmune hepatitis in adults and children
Key Points Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic and relapsing, immune-mediated liver injury. No single diagnostic test exists for AIH and in the absence of alternative liver disease, diagnosis rests…
15 Liver disease due to alcohol
Key Points Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) encompasses a spectrum of injury, ranging from fatty liver to frank cirrhosis. Although alcoholic fatty liver secondary to excessive alcohol ingestion resolves with abstinence,…
24 Liver disease in pregnant women
Key Points It is necessary to establish the stage of pregnancy, as some hepatic complications are semester specific. Collect information on prior obstetric history. Collect information on prior history of…
5 Management of complications of portal hypertension in adults and children: variceal hemorrhage
Key Points All adult patients known or suspected to have cirrhosis require esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to check for the presence of varices. All adult cirrhotic patients with medium or large varices,…
17 Obesity and its hepatic complications in adults and children
Key Points: Adults Obesity rates are increasing worldwide. Adults with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 (Caucasian) or more than 27 (Asian) are classified as obese and…
6 Management of ascites
Key Points Ascites in a cirrhotic due to liver failure is a bad prognostic sign. MELD (see Chapters 2 and 4) should be calculated and liver transplantation should be considered….
4 Natural history of the cirrhotic patient
Key Points Cirrhosis may be entirely asymptomatic with no clinical signs. Routine laboratory tests that may suggest underlying cirrhosis include: thrombocytopenia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Non-invasive tests (serum panels and transient…
13 Chronic viral hepatitis in adults and children: hepatitis B
Key Points Country of birth is the most important risk factor for HBV infection. Age at acquisition is strongly associated with the risk of chronic infection (95% of infants develop…
7 Masses in the liver
Key Points Investigation of masses in the liver is largely radiological and biopsy is only necessary if radiological investigations fail to identify a cause with certainty. Hemangiomas are harmless and…
16 Drug-induced liver disease
Key Points Virtually any drug can be a source of hepatotoxicity. Drugs are the commonest identified cause of fulminant hepatic failure in most Western centers. Recognition of the pattern of…
