Stigmata of Chronic Liver Disease
Review of Clinical Signs Series Editor: Bernard Karnath, MD Stigmata of Chronic Liver Disease Bernard Karnath, MD he liver is the largest internal organ of the body, with blood supplied from both the hepatic STIGMATA OF artery and the portal vein. The liver performs CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE T many functions, including synthesis of most serum proteins, regulation of glucose and lipids, and Spider angioma production of bile. These essential functions become Jaundice impaired when a liver develops cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is Scleral icterus defined pathologically by the loss of normal microscop- Palmar erythema ic lobular architecture with fibrosis and nodular regen- Gynecomastia eration. Chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis, is cur- Ascites rently the twelfth leading cause of death in the United Encephalopathy 1 States. Chronic alcoholism and chronic hepatitis C are Asterixis 2 the leading causes of cirrhosis, and cirrhosis is the most Note: Signs listed are not specific to chronic liver disease. common cause of portal hypertension. This article reviews the clinical signs, or “stigmata,” of chronic liver disease that can be visualized by simple observation of the patient. These include spider angi- tients.4 Overall, 33% of patients with cirrhosis had spi- omas, scleral icterus, jaundice, palmar erythema, gyne- der angiomas.4 comastia, ascites, encephalopathy, and asterixis.3 Jaundice CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS Jaundice, or icterus, refers to a yellowish discolor- The cutaneous manifestations of chronic liver dis- ation of the skin that results from the deposition of bili- ease include spider angiomas, jaundice, pruritus, and rubin and its metabolites in the tissues. It also affects palmar erythema. Pruritus is a subjective sign.
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