Open AccessLiver involvement in systemic infection
Author(s) -
Masami Minemura
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
world journal of hepatology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 55
ISSN - 1948-5182
DOI - 10.4254/wjh.v6.i9.632
Subject(s) - medicine , sepsis , fulminant , liver function , fulminant hepatic failure , liver function tests , intensive care medicine , immunology , gastroenterology , liver transplantation , transplantation
The liver is often involved in systemic infections, resulting in various types of abnormal liver function test results. In particular, hyperbilirubinemia in the range of 2-10 mg/dL is often seen in patients with sepsis, and several mechanisms for this phenomenon have been proposed. In this review, we summarize how the liver is involved in various systemic infections that are not considered to be primarily hepatotropic. In most patients with systemic infections, treatment for the invading microbes is enough to normalize the liver function tests. However, some patients may show severe liver injury or fulminant hepatic failure, requiring intensive treatment of the liver.