Question 1

i have been told that i have liver failure after a paracetamol overdose how long will it take to kill me? i'm too embarrassed to ask my consultant

Accepted Answer

Ask for MELD score: Knowing your meld score may address your concern as to how badly damaged your liver may be and how urgently you need further intervention (e.g. Expectation of recovery with conservative treatment or proceed to liver transplantation). Best wishes for your recovery.

Question 2

can acute liver failure cause something that could kill someone instantly?

Accepted Answer

Probably not: Probably not instantly, but true acute liver failure can kill a person in less than 24 hours if appropriate therapy is not instituted as soon as possible.

Question 3

does acute liver failure cause some imbalance that can kill a person instantly?

Accepted Answer

Acute failure risky: Acute liver failure can be caused by an event leading to sudden liver failure: tylenol (acetaminophen) overdose, hepatitis infection, poisonous mushrooms, etc. Often the liver will recover, but death is possible. Interestingly, the cause of death in these patients is often brain swelling or bleeding. The brain swelling can result in herniation and death. Massive bleeding also can cause stroke and sudden death.

Question 4

how long does it take for symptoms of liver failure to present?

Accepted Answer

Varies: The time can vary depending upon the cause and the underlying factors in a given individual.

Question 5

how long is it supposed to it take for symptoms of liver failure to be present?

Accepted Answer

Can be very late: The liver is a small factory that performs many functions in the body - detoxification, processing of food, generation of proteins, modulation of blood components, etc. The liver is quite large with enormous capacity because of its importance to body function. Therefore, there is a large amount of redundancy and extra capacity present. You may lose 70-80% of function before diagnosis of failure.

Question 6

how many years of drinking heavily can it take for an alcoholic to get chronic liver failure?

Accepted Answer

Depends: Unfortunately, too many variables to answer online--genetics, volume / concentration of alcohol, quality of alcohol, any other drugs/meds, any infections (acute or chronic), etc., can all impact how long a liver can hold out under toxic assault--could be a few to many years. Pro-liver-health supplements can help prolong this also.

Question 7

how fast does it take for your entire body to jaundice once it begins from end stage liver failure?

Accepted Answer

End stage: Is usually accompanied by jaundice, in my experience.

Question 8

dad has liver failure-won't take lasix+lisinopril-dislikes how it makes him urinate all the time. what'll happen 2 him? how can i get him 2 take meds?

Accepted Answer

Medications: Lasix (furosemide) is used to reduce fluid or swelling of the abdomen and lower extremities. I am not sure why Lisinopril being used for liver failure. The best would be to speak with the prescribing doctor as compliance is and should be the main focus.

Question 9

is it recommended for a patient w/ ascite to take protien suppliment such as whey protien mix and pure protien shake? ascite is a condition where by a person starts collecting fluid in his/her abdominal cavity due to liver failure.  my friend is currently

Accepted Answer

Ascites : Ascites is a fluid build up within the abdominal cavity that can be caused from a variety of reasons, but most commonly from liver disease.  In this case, scarring within the liver, called cirrhosis caused elevated blood pressures within the intestine and other abdominal organs, also known as portal hypertension.  This causes fluid to leak into the peritoneum and when the amount of fluid formation exceeds the capacity of the abdominal lining to absorb the fluid, then accumulation of fluid occurs.  In some liver conditions, such as portal vein thrombosis (sometimes related to liver cancer), ascites accumulation may be severe.  The fluid consists of protein, including albumin.  Patients that have the fluid removed, called paracentesis, to relieve the pressure from the ascites, also lose the protein and exacerbate protein loss.  Together with the liver disease (liver makes essentially all of the proteins that circulate in the blood), patients will lose a large amount of muscle mass, called muscle wasting.  Patients with liver disease may also experience mental confusion, called hepatic encephalopathy, which calls for dietary protein restriction, which also exacerbates muscle wasting.

The recommendations for protein intake in liver failure patients has changed.  The american association for the study of liver diseases currently recommends that protein intake should be at least 1 g/kg/day and increased to 1.75 - 2 g/kg/day as tolerated.  A late night meal with the highest amount of protein will minimize the risk of encephalopathy interfering with daily routine.

At this point, your friend should be under the careful management of a liver specialist, called a hepatologist and possibly evaluated for liver transplantation.

Question 10

my ast is 54 alt was 21 my lipid panel was all normal bmi is 22 and i dont drink alcohol or take tylenol or any meds. what could be the cause. concerns for liver failure and toxicity?

Accepted Answer

: If I recall correctly you asked this question before. AST is not a specific maker of liver disease unless you are an alcoholic. Liver enzymes fluctuate a lot with routine blood test. You should not lose sleep with this result. If it concerns you too much, you can have the test repeated.

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Doctor answers about:

How long does liver failure take to kill you

A member asked:

I have been told that i have liver failure after a paracetamol overdose how long will it take to kill me? i'm too embarrassed to ask my consultant

A member asked:

Can acute liver failure cause something that could kill someone instantly?

A member asked:

Does acute liver failure cause some imbalance that can kill a person instantly?

A member asked:

How long does it take for symptoms of liver failure to present?

A member asked:

How long is it supposed to it take for symptoms of liver failure to be present?

A member asked:

How many years of drinking heavily can it take for an alcoholic to get chronic liver failure?

A member asked:

How fast does it take for your entire body to jaundice once it begins from end stage liver failure?

A member asked:

Dad has liver failure-won't take lasix+lisinopril-dislikes how it makes him urinate all the time. what'll happen 2 him? how can i get him 2 take meds?

A member asked:

Is it recommended for a patient w/ ascite to take protien suppliment such as whey protien mix and pure protien shake? ascite is a condition where by a person starts collecting fluid in his/her abdominal cavity due to liver failure. my friend is currently

A member asked:

My ast is 54 alt was 21 my lipid panel was all normal bmi is 22 and i dont drink alcohol or take tylenol or any meds. what could be the cause. concerns for liver failure and toxicity?

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