Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo 2018 Volume 146, Issue 3-4, Pages: 200-202
https://doi.org/10.2298/SARH170329124D
Full text ( 556 KB)
Subacute liver failure of unknown origin
Delić Dragan (Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade + Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade)
Mitrović Nikola (Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade)
Urošević Aleksandar (Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade + Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade)
Simonović Jasmina (Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade + Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade)
Bojović Ksenija (Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade + Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic For Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Belgrade)
Introduction. Acute liver failure is rare and very complex clinical syndrome,
the consequences of the sudden and severe liver dysfunction. There are
several causes of this condition (viruses, medications, toxins, metabolic,
autoimmune and malignant diseases), but etiological agent often remains
undiscovered. Case Outline. A 40-year-old male patient got ill suddenly with
signs and symptoms relevant for acute hepatitis, which was confirmed with
biochemical analysis. The cause of acute liver failure was not determined.
Despite all therapeutic measures, clinical course of the disease was bad:
severe icterus, decreased synthetic function of the liver and hepatic
encephalopathy developed. In the later, subacute course of the disease,
developed ascites, episodes of hepatic encephalopathy and biochemical
findings of chronic hepatocellular failure. After three months treatment, in
hepatic coma, there was lethal outcome. Histopathological findings confirmed
the diagnosis of decompensated liver cirrhosis of unknown origin. Conclusion.
The cause of acute liver failure often remains unclear; potential causes
should be looked for in infections with unknown viruses or in toxins
exposure. The disease is most commonly presented as subacute failure with the
development of liver cirrhosis. Survival rate is low.
Keywords: subacute liver failure, acute hepatitis non A-E, liver cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy