Term: Chronic Liver Disease
Glossary Definition
Last Updated: 2018-01-31
Definition:
A variety of conditions fall under the category of chronic liver disease. These include:
-
Chronic hepatitis (i.e.
Hepatitis C
)
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Alcoholic liver disease, involving:
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Fibrosis (early stage of liver scarring)
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Cirrhosis (advanced stage liver scarring)
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Hepatic failure (loss of liver function, often due to cirrhosis)
Causes of chronic liver disease vary from viral agents (i.e. Hepatitis C) to poison, drugs or excessive alcohol use. Symptoms vary from abdominal and leg swelling, easing bruising, changes in stool and urine colour, or yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice). Symptoms may not be present in some cases. Diagnosis occurs through imaging tests and liver function tests (measuring levels of certain proteins, enzymes and substances) to assess liver damage.
See
Medline® – Health Topics – Liver Diseases
for more clinical information.
Related concepts
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Term used in
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Myers RP, Shaheen AA, Fong A, Wan AF, Swain MG, Hilsden RJ, Sutherland L, Quan H.
Validation of coding algorithms for the identification of patients with primary military cirrhosis using administrative data.
Can J Gastroenterol
2010;24(3):175-182. [Abstract] (View)
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Pang JX, Ross E, Borman MA, Zimmer S, Kaplan GG, Heitman SJ, Swain MG, Burak KW, Quan H, Myers RP.
Validation of coding algorithms for the identification of patients hospitalized for alcoholic hepatitis using administrative data.
BMC Gastroenterol
2015;15:116. [Abstract] (View)