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Leading liver specialists often review the trust's leaflets on liver diseases, ensuring they contain up-to-date, reliably sourced information. The trust has also produced two professional guides on viral hepatitis. Publications produced by the trust have received an endorsement from the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL).
Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by Hepatovirus A (HAV); [7] it is a type of viral hepatitis. [8] Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. [ 1 ] The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them, is two–six weeks. [ 2 ]
Liver function tests (LFTs or LFs), also referred to as a hepatic panel or liver panel, are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of a patient's liver. [1] These tests include prothrombin time (PT/INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), albumin , bilirubin (direct and indirect), and others.
Liver biopsy is often required for the diagnosis of a liver problem (jaundice, abnormal blood tests) where blood tests, such as hepatitis A serology, have not been able to identify a cause. It is also required if hepatitis is possibly the result of medication , but the exact nature of the reaction is unclear.
Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, is caused by various viruses (viral hepatitis) also by some liver toxins (e.g. alcoholic hepatitis), autoimmunity (autoimmune hepatitis) or hereditary conditions. [6] Alcoholic liver disease is a hepatic manifestation of alcohol overconsumption, including fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and ...
The proportion of AST to ALT in hepatocytes is about 2.5:1, but because AST is removed from serum by the liver sinusoidal cells twice as quickly (serum half-life t 1/2 = 18 hr) compared to ALT (t 1/2 = 36 hr), so the resulting serum levels of AST and ALT are about equal in healthy individuals, resulting in a normal AST/ALT ratio around 1.
However, very high elevations of the transaminases suggests severe liver damage, such as viral hepatitis, liver injury from lack of blood flow, or injury from drugs or toxins. Most disease processes cause ALT to rise higher than AST; AST levels double or triple that of ALT are consistent with alcoholic liver disease. [citation needed]
Rarely, people with the hepatitis A virus can rapidly develop liver failure, termed fulminant hepatic failure, especially the elderly and those who had a pre-existing liver disease, especially hepatitis C. [17] [81] Mortality risk factors include greater age and chronic hepatitis C. [17] In these cases, more aggressive supportive therapy and ...