Acute liver failure

Acute liver failure
Acute liver failure (with hepatocellular necrosis and sinusoidal bleeding) from Marburg virus, a rare cause
Specialty	Gastroenterology, hepatology, intensive care medicine
Symptoms	Jaundice, excessive bleeding, altered state of consciousness, hyperdynamic circulation, hepatocellular necrosis, low blood pressure
Complications	Hepatic encephalopathy, kidney failure, thrombocytopenia, hyponatraemia
Diagnostic method	Prothrombin time measurement, complete blood count
Treatment	Liver transplant

Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs (such as jaundice) of liver disease, and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage (loss of function of 80–90% of liver cells). The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis (as measured by the levels of serum albumin and the prothrombin time in the blood). The 1993 classification defines hyperacute as within 1 week, acute as 8–28 days, and subacute as 4–12 weeks;^[1] both the speed with which the disease develops and the underlying cause strongly affect outcomes.^[2]