What is fulminant hepatitis? The official name of fulminant hepatitis is "acute liver failure" or "fulminant liver failure". 80% of liver cells die in a short time, just like acute renal failure and heart failure, which is equivalent to the body entering an "anhepatic" state instantly. The liver is responsible for helping the body break down toxins and metabolic wastes. If the liver loses its function, toxins will flow along the blood to the whole body, which will lead to many diseases.
In addition to common liver diseases such as loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, jaundice and ascites, fulminant hepatitis is also defined as "liver and brain lesions" within 8 weeks after jaundice. That is to say, toxins go to the brain and damage cognitive function. At the beginning, mental confusion, strange excitement and trembling may occur, and when it is serious, it will become drowsy and even coma, so it is also called "hepatic coma".
According to statistics, the mortality rate of severe hepatitis can reach more than 80%, because liver toxins can accumulate waste in the brain, leading to intracranial hypertension and brain edema, which is also the main cause of death. Because there is a risk of death within a few weeks, when the initial symptoms appear, it is best to seek medical advice and take blood tests for liver function; If the eyes turn pale and the skin begins to turn yellow, it is recommended not to delay, because jaundice may be a serious liver disease even if it is not fulminant hepatitis, so it is best to treat it quickly.
The cause of fulminant hepatitis is a large number of necrosis of liver cells, so chronic and persistent inflammation may cause fulminant hepatitis, such as viral hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, alcoholic hepatitis, drug-induced hepatitis and poisoning. Among them, the most common drug-induced hepatitis that causes fulminant hepatitis is caused by eating too much acetaminophen, and the most common drug is Punagen for headache. Wang, the chief physician of outpatient gastrointestinal hepatobiliary department, said that in the United States, people who commit suicide by taking drugs generally eat acetaminophen.
In addition, metabolic diseases, such as Wilson's disease, Leigh's syndrome, fatty liver during pregnancy, etc. , may be related to influenza virus, often caused by fulminant hepatitis.
The liver needs enough blood to exchange metabolic wastes, so if the blood suddenly decreases, or vascular diseases, such as heart failure, heart failure, and hepatic vascular obstruction, such as running in hot weather 10 km without water supply, fulminant hepatitis can also be caused. Although staying up late will not directly cause fulminant hepatitis, it may lead to heart failure due to stress and decreased immune function.
At present, severe hepatitis is mostly treated with supportive therapy, which supplements albumin and coagulation factors originally made from liver drugs to treat jaundice, ascites and other problems. The liver cells of patients with severe hepatitis are difficult to repair and regenerate naturally, so liver transplantation is recommended, but it depends on whether they are lucky enough to wait, so the best way is to avoid the risk factors of severe hepatitis and check regularly to avoid taking excessive drugs for chronic hepatitis.