Hepatic coma

Diseases of the liver, especially cirrhosis and hepatitis, can affect other organs. CNS damage caused by abnormal liver function is called a hepatic coma. This is a serious illness, which involves immediate seeking medical help, otherwise death is inevitable.

The main symptoms of hepatic coma

Depending on the cause of the disease, doctors distinguish several varieties of coma. Endogenous hepatic coma occurs as a result of poisoning with hepatotropic poisons accumulated as a result of cirrhosis or hepatitis. Exogenous coma is usually caused by the consumption of poisonous fungi, the prolonged use of certain medications, or poisoning with toxins that enter the body from the outside and hit the liver.

The combination of the endogenous and exogenous nature of the disease is called a mixed hepatic coma. The following categories of persons are particularly susceptible to the disease:

Directly the cause of the hepatic coma is the defeat of nerve cells with toxins produced by the liver, resulting in cerebral edema and loss of consciousness. Here are the main signs of a hepatic coma:

These symptoms are typical for the state of the precoma, with the timely access to a doctor a person can still be saved. Then comes the 1st stage of coma, when breathing becomes difficult and a partial loss of consciousness occurs. At this stage of the hepatic coma, the positive prognosis is only 30%. After the complete hepatic coma comes, treatment will not help to return a person to a normal life and will only prolong the functioning of the main internal organs for an indefinite time.

Features of treatment of hepatic coma

If you find yourself or someone close to the symptoms of the precoma, you must immediately call an ambulance. Emergency care for hepatic coma lies in the fact that the patient needs to ensure complete rest and put him on his side. This is all that you can do to ease his condition, the rest will only hurt.

Treatment should be carried out by qualified doctors in the intensive care unit or intensive care unit. First of all, it is necessary to clean the intestines from the microflora, and the entire body - from toxins. For this purpose, drippers can be delivered and antibiotics administered. Also, the task of physicians is to limit the intake of proteins and remove from the body already available. With edema of the brain, all forces are thrown on the elimination of this problem, since with every minute of delay the probability that a person will return to consciousness falls sharply.

If the disease progresses and stop intoxication fails, the development of renal failure is likely. In this case, a hemodialysis procedure is performed.

At large clusters of ammonia in The organism is neutralized by the administration of arginine and glutamic acid. Blood transfusion is shown, which usually reaches 5-6 liters per day.

The basis of treatment is the principle of detoxification of the body and the return of psychomotor functions.

In order to prevent the development of hepatic coma, you should follow these rules:

  1. In time to treat all liver diseases.
  2. Do not abuse alcohol.
  3. Do not combine drugs with alcohol.
  4. Do not eat wild mushrooms, even if their appearance does not inspire suspicion.