Brain Edema in Acute Liver Failure

Brain edema in acute liver failure and chronic liver disease: similarities and differences.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome that typically develops as a result of acute liver failure or chronic liver disease. Brain edema is a common feature associated with HE. In acute liver failure, brain edema contributes to an increase in intracranial pressure, which can fatally lead to brain stem herniation. In chronic liver disease, intracranial hypertension is ...

Cerebral Edema in Patients with Acute Liver and Renal Failure

Brain edema in acute liver failure. A window to the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy.

Hepatic encephalopathy and brain edema are important complications in the course of a patient with acute liver failure. Presumed unrelated for many years, increasing evidence suggests that an increase in brain water is seen in all forms of hepatic encephalopathy. Ammonia, traditionally linked to the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, plays an important role in the increase in brain water. ...

Mild hypothermia prevents brain edema and attenuates up-regulation of the astrocytic benzodiazepine receptor in experimental acute liver failure.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Mild hypothermia has proven useful in the clinical management of patients with acute liver failure. Acute liver failure in experimental animals results in alterations in the expression of genes coding for astrocytic proteins including the "peripheral-type" (astrocytic) benzodiazepine receptor (PTBR), a mitochondrial complex associated with neurosteroid synthesis. To gain further...

Fever, acute renal failure and pulmonary edema

A 39-year-old female presented with an 8-day history of fever, myalgia, back pain, nausea and vomiting, visual impairment, anuria and weight gain of 9 kg within 1 week. Neither cough nor dyspnea was reported. She had no previous medical history and no regular medication. She is a florist by profession and exposed to moss collected in the forest. She does regular mountain biking tours. On admiss...