Congenital hepatic fibrosis

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Congenital hepatic fibrosis
Autorecessive.svg
Congenital hepatic fibrosis has an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.
Specialty Gasteroenterology

Congenital hepatic fibrosis is an inherited fibrocystic liver disease associated with proliferation of interlobular bile ducts within the portal areas and fibrosis that do not alter hepatic lobular architecture. The fibrosis would affect resistance in portal veins leading to portal hypertension.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Cause

The condition is usually congenital, but sporadic cases have also been reported. It may be associated with other congenital defects, commonly with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, the most severe form of PKD. Some suggest that these two conditions are one disorder with different presentation. [1]

Mechanism

Embryogenically, congenital hepatic fibrosis is due to malformation of the duct plate, a round structure appearing in the eighth week of gestation that is formed by primitive hepatocytes, which differentiate into cholangiocytes. [2] Congenital hepatic fibrosis usually presents in adolescent or young adulthood, but onset of signs and symptoms can range from early childhood through mid-life. Clinical features may vary but commonly include cholangitis, hepatomegaly and signs of portal hypertension.[ citation needed ]

Diagnosis

Liver biopsy is diagnostic. In biopsy there is diffuse periportal and perilobular fibrosis in broad bands, containing distorted duct like structure or microcyst formation.[ citation needed ]

Management

Management includes control of esophageal bleeding/varices and treatment of associated renal disease if present.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Biliary atresia Medical condition

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Portal hypertension Abnormally increased portal venous pressure

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Primary sclerosing cholangitis Medical condition

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a long-term progressive disease of the liver and gallbladder characterized by inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts, which normally allow bile to drain from the gallbladder. Affected individuals may have no symptoms or may experience signs and symptoms of liver disease, such as yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes, itching, and abdominal pain.

Fatty liver disease Medical condition related to obesity

Fatty liver disease (FLD), also known as hepatic steatosis, is a condition where excess fat builds up in the liver. Often there are no or few symptoms. Occasionally there may be tiredness or pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Complications may include cirrhosis, liver cancer, and esophageal varices.

Gastrointestinal disease Medical condition

Gastrointestinal diseases refer to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum, and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

A portosystemic shunt or portasystemic shunt (PSS), also known as a liver shunt, is a bypass of the liver by the body's circulatory system. It can be either a congenital or acquired condition and occurs in humans as well as in other species of animals. Congenital PSS are extremely rare in humans but are relatively common in dogs. Thus a large part of medical and scientific literature on the subject is grounded in veterinary medicine.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease Excessive fat build-up in the liver not caused by alcohol use

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is excessive fat build-up in the liver without another clear cause such as alcohol use. There are two types; non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with the latter also including liver inflammation. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is less dangerous than NASH and usually does not progress to NASH or liver cirrhosis. When NAFLD does progress to NASH, it may eventually lead to complications such as cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, or cardiovascular disease.

Peliosis hepatis is an uncommon vascular condition characterised by multiple, randomly distributed, blood-filled cavities throughout the liver. The size of the cavities usually ranges between a few millimetres and 3 cm in diameter. In the past, it was a mere histological curiosity occasionally found at autopsies, but has been increasingly recognised with wide-ranging conditions from AIDS to the use of anabolic steroids. It also occasionally affects spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, kidneys, adrenal glands, bone marrow, and other parts of gastrointestinal tract.

Liver Vertebrate organ involved in metabolism

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Bile duct hamartoma Medical condition

A bile duct hamartoma or biliary hamartoma, is a benign tumour-like malformation of the liver.

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease Medical condition

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is the recessive form of polycystic kidney disease. It is associated with a group of congenital fibrocystic syndromes. Mutations in the PKHD1 cause ARPKD.

Cirrhosis Chronic disease of the liver, characterized by fibrosis

Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repair and subsequent formation of scar tissue, which over time can replace normal functioning tissue, leading to the impaired liver function of cirrhosis. The disease typically develops slowly over months or years. Early symptoms may include tiredness, weakness, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, nausea and vomiting, and discomfort in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. As the disease worsens, symptoms may include itchiness, swelling in the lower legs, fluid build-up in the abdomen, jaundice, bruising easily, and the development of spider-like blood vessels in the skin. The fluid build-up in the abdomen may become spontaneously infected. More serious complications include hepatic encephalopathy, bleeding from dilated veins in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines, and liver cancer.

Vanishing bile duct syndrome is a loose collection of diseases which leads to the injury to hepatic bile ducts and eventual ductopenia.

Juvenile nephronophthisis Medical condition

Juvenile nephronophthisis is the juvenile form of nephronophthisis that causes end stage kidney disease around the age of 13; infantile nephronophthisis and adolescent nephronophthisis cause ESKD around the ages of 1 and 19, respectively.

COACH syndrome, also known as Joubert syndrome with hepatic defect, is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disease. The name is an acronym of the defining signs: cerebellar vermis aplasia, oligophrenia, congenital ataxia, coloboma and hepatic fibrosis. The condition is associated with moderate intellectual disability. It falls under the category of a Joubart Syndrome-related disorder (JSRD).

Congenital portosystemic shunts (PSS) is a hereditary condition in dogs and cats, its frequency varying depending on the breed. The shunts found mainly in small dog breeds such as Shih Tzus, Tibetan Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers and Yorkshire Terriers, and in cats such as Persians, British Shorthairs, Himalayans, and mixed breeds are usually extrahepatic, while the shunts found in large dog breeds such as Irish Wolfhounds and Labrador Retrievers tend to be intrahepatic.

References

  1. "eMedicine - Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis : Article by Hisham Nazer, MBBCh, FRCP" . Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  2. Jorge OA, Jorge AD (2006). "Congenital hepatic fibrosis associated with von Recklinghausen's disease". Revista Española de Enfermedades Digestivas. 98 (9): 693–7. doi: 10.4321/s1130-01082006000900007 . PMID   17092201.