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Acute Liver Failure


Published: February 5th, 2008

If you have experienced a liver transplant due to acute liver failure, we can connect you with others who have shared the same life changing experience. Please contact Jodi Takahashi via email at jodi@dxrsystems.com or the American Liver Foundation at 800.292.9099.

The liver is one of the body’s largest organs and performs hundreds of functions every day to keep you alive. It removes harmful substances from the blood, makes bile to help digest fat, and stores energy. Acute liver failure is the rare, but serious condition that occurs when a large number of hepatic (liver) cells stop functioning within a short period of time, and the liver is no longer able to perform these critical functions. The condition has been known to occur in both adults and children.

Symptoms

The early symptoms of acute liver failure are similar to symptoms of hepatitis and can make early detection difficult. Some of the earliest symptoms might include fatigue, nausea, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin) and vomiting. As the condition advances, many patients will become confused or sleepy due to a condition called encephalopathy. Acute liver failure can advance very quickly (typically within 26 weeks of the initial illness or trigger), and patients should be seen immediately at a hospital or medical center with experience in treating acute liver failure to determine the cause and potential treatments and options. There are treatment options available in certain cases; however transplantation may be necessary in order to save the patient’s life. All options should be discussed with your physician and treatment options should be evaluated on an individual basis.

Causes

The most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States is acetaminophen poisoning (a main ingredient in over-the-counter pain relievers). Other causes can include reactions to prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs as well as viruses, such as viral hepatitis. There are still many cases in which causes cannot be identified.

According to the Acute Liver Failure Study Group (http://acsresearch.swmed.edu/ALF/home.html), the following information should be shared with your doctor if you or a loved one is diagnosed with acute liver failure:

  • When the patient first got sick
  • Family history of liver disease
  • The names of any over-the-counter drugs taken in the last six months
  • Prescription drugs taken within the last six months
  • Events or circumstances that may have exposed the patient sick individuals
  • Recent travel history
  • Information about any wild mushrooms or seafood eaten
  • If there is a history of hepatitis (viral or not)
  • Drug or alcohol use
  • Exposure to pets or other animals

Contact a center in Northern California that specializes in the study and treatment of acute liver failure:

UC, San Francisco

Contact: Tim Davern, MD timothy.davern@ucsf.edu (415) 502-0610

Contact: Philip Rosenthal, MD (Pediatric) prosenth@peds.ucsf.edu (415) 476-589

UC, Davis

Contact: Lorenzo Rossaro, MD lrossaro@ucdavis.edu (916) 734-8693


Page updated: April 18th, 2008