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Acute Liver Failure – Definition and Diagnosis

When your liver suddenly loses its ability to function due to severe damage of liver cells, it is acute liver failure. It is an uncommon condition. Acute liver failure is the same as fulminant hepatic failure. Various medications also prove effective in dealing with acute liver failure.

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Definition and Diagnosis of Acute Liver Failure

New York (USA), June 24, 2013

What is Acute Liver Failure?

Definition of Acute Liver Failure

When your liver suddenly loses its ability to function due to severe damage of liver cells, it is acute liver failure. This is a medical emergency and immediate hospitalization is essential. It is an uncommon condition. Normally, liver failure occurs over a very long period, rather many years. However, acute liver failure indicates very fast deterioration, within few weeks or days. Hence, in acute liver failure rapid deterioration of liver starts soon after the onset of liver disease like jaundice. Acute liver failure is the same as fulminant hepatic failure.

Acute liver failure commonly affects young people and is a fatal condition. Acute liver failure leads to various complications like brain disorders and excessive bleeding. However, immediate medical help and liver transplantation can improve mortality.

Diagnosis of Acute Liver Failure

A thorough physical examination, your medical history, laboratory tests and results coupled with current changes in mental setup, rapidity of onset, and coagulopathy help diagnose acute liver failure. It is of prime importance to identify actual cause for acute liver failure. Drug-related hepatotoxicity, especially from acetaminophen, is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States.

If you already suffer from certain immune diseases or have other medical conditions, treatment options have to be modulated accordingly. Various medications also prove effective in dealing with acute liver failure. Treatment focuses on fluid management, hemodynamics, prompt detection of gastrointestinal bleeding, nutrition management, checking for infection, and monitoring of metabolic parameters.

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