Common Compensated chronic liver disease exam questions for medical finals, OSCEs and MRCP PACES

 

Question 1.

What are the common causes of chronic liver disease (CLD)?

  • Alcohol
    • Commonest cause of CLD in the UK
  • Viral
    • B, C and D
  • NAFLD/NASH
    • Due to diabetes, metabolic syndrome
      • DM type II, Hypertension, Obesity, Hyperlipidaemia
  • Genetic
    • Cystic fibrosis
    • Hereditary haemachromatosis
    • Wilson’s
    • Glycogen storage diseases
  • Autoimmune
    • PBC
    • PSC
    • AIH
  • Drugs
    • Isoniazid
    • Methotrexate, amiodarone, phenytoin, sodium valproate, nitrofurantoin
  • Vascular
    • Budd-Chiari
  • Idiopathic/Cryptogenic

 

Question 2.

What blood tests examine synthetic liver function?

  • The best test of synthetic liver function are PT (prothrombin time [or INR, which is derived from PT]), platelets and albumin

 

Question 3.

What are the complications of CLD?

  • Variceal bleeding
  • Ascites
    • Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
  • Encephalopathy
  • Hepatorenal syndrome
  • HCC