Main Complications of AECHB and Severe Hepatitis B (Liver Failure)

This chapter describes the clinical features, and diagnosis of complications in AECHB including secondary bacterial infections, coagulation disorder, water electrolyte disorder, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatopulmonary syndrome and endotoxemia: 1. Patients with severe hepatitis have impaired immunity and are therefore vulnerable to all kinds of infections. After infection, these patients may experience shock, DIC and multiple organ failure, all of which seriously affect their prognosis and are major causes of death. Concurrent infections consist primarily of infections of the lungs, intestines, biliary tract, and urinary tract, as well as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and sepsis. 2. Severe hepatitis may reduce the synthesis of coagulation factors and enhance their dysfunction and increase anticoagulants and platelet abnormalities, leading to coagulopathy. Infection, hepatorenal syndrome and complications can further aggravate coagulopathy, resulting in DIC and seriously affecting patient prognosis. 3. Hepatorenal syndrome, which is characterized by renal failure, hemodynamic changes in arterial circulation and abnormalities in the endogenous vascular system, is a common clinical complication of end-stage liver disease, and one of the important indicators for the prognosis of patients with severe hepatitis. 4. Water electrolyte disorder (water retention, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hyperkalaemia) and acid-base imbalance are common in patients with severe hepatitis. These internal environment disorders can lead to exacerbation and complication of the illness. 5. Hepatic encephalopathy is a neurological and psychiatric anomaly syndrome based on metabolic disorder, and an important prognostic indicator for patients with severe hepatitis. 6. The hepatopulmonary syndrome is an important vascular complication in lungs due to systemic hypoxemia in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension. The majority of patients with HPS are asymptomatic. Long-term oxygen therapy remains the most frequently recommended therapy for symptoms in patients with severe hypoxemia. 7. Endotoxemia, an important complication of severe hepatitis, is not only a second hit to the liver, but also leads to other complications including SIRS and MODS.