Liver Failure
Liver failure may be defined as the inability of the liver to function at the level required to detoxify the body of the products of metabolism, such as ammonia from protein breakdown, or to synthesise effectively agents such as those required to ensure normal blood clotting. It is uncommon in infancy, where it is most usually caused by an overwhelming viral hepatitis. In childhood and adolescence it may be a complication of metabolic diseases such as the inborn errors of metabolism (described in the brain and development section) or Wilson's disease. Sadly it is sometimes a consequence of damage caused by paracetamol overdose, when it develops over a period of days. The build-up of toxic waste products affects brain function (causing a condition called encephalopathy) by mechanisms which are not completely understood: it progresses from mild drowsiness through agitation and confusion to stupor and coma. Problems with the production of the agents required to help our blood clot results in prolonged bleeding.
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