Intro to Nut (Chap 20) Liver and Gallbladder Disease

Identify potential causes of fatty liver and hepatitis

Metabolic defects

Excessive alcohol ingestion or exposure to drugs and toxins

Describe the medical and nutrition care that may be helpful for these conditions.

Elimination of factors causing it

Weight reduction

Control of blood glucose levels

Discuss the potential causes and consequences of liver cirrhosis.

Causes: Chronic hepatitis C infection and Alcoholic liver disease

Consequences: Mild or asymptomatic —→ fatigue, weakness, anorexia, or weight loss

Later-stage symptoms: —→ anemia, impaired blood clotting, and increased susceptibility to infection

Advanced stage: —→ disrupted kidney, lung, and brain function

Describe the medical treatments and nutrition therapies for liver cirrhosis.

Treatments: —→ Supportive care, appropriate diet, avoidance of liver toxins and alcohol, medications prescribed to treat symptoms and complications.

Nutrition therapies: —→ Avoid substances that cause further liver damage, soft diet if seophageal carices are present, restrict sodium, nutrient supplementation, enteral and parenteral nutrtion support

Identify the potential health concerns of patients who undergo a liver transplant.

Organ rejection and infection

Explain why gallstones develop.

Disorders of the biliary system (gallbladder and bile ducts) cause gallstone formation

Discuss the major risk factors and treatment approaches for gallstone diseases.

Risk factors: —→ Ethnicity, Age and gender, pregnancy, obesity, and weight loss.

Treatment approaches: —→ Gallbladder removal for patients with recurrent gallstones or oral intake of ursodeoxycholic acid that dissolves cholesterol crystals.

Shock wave lithotripsy is used for stones difficult to extract by other means.

Describe how alcohol is metabolized in the body and discuss the potential risks and benefits associated with its use.

Metabolized in the body:—→ Metabolized in the liver, given priority over other substances, inhibits glycogen storage and availability of glucose between meals, suppresses breakdown of fat for energy, inhibits liver protein synthesis.

Describe potential risks and benefits associated with alcohol’s use.

Potential risks of the metabolism of alcohol:—→ It can interfere with the actions of cell membrane proteins and lead to cell death and tissue damage

Potential benefits of the metabolism of alcohol:—→ Acts as a central nervous system depressant, causes sedation, slows reaction times, and relieves anxiety