kidney disease,low blood pressure and walked in to the hospital with an ammonia level of 60 now 200?my dad has a liver disease and low blood pressure, was taken to the hospital today because he can't distinguish, recognize or acknowledge anyone. Nurse said he came in with an ammonia level of 60 and has risen to 200, they've given him some kind of medication but it doesn't seem to be working so they have raised the medication and they'll call back if any changes occur. My mind is racing and don't know what to do. ( his in another city )
Posted by Baa Baa
I am not a doctor and don't want to diagnose him, but it sounds like he could be having what is called encephalopathy which is quite common with liver disease. It is caused by high ammonia levels when the liver cannot get rid of the ammonia due to poor function. I am assuming his liver disease might be cirrhosis.
Everyone who has liver failure usually has ammonia problems and everyone has their own tolerance levels when the ammonia rises. Encephalopathy can cause minor problems such as fatigue and just feeling blah all the way to more serious problems such as confusion, behavior changes, memory loss, and sometimes even violent behavior and hallucinations. If left untreated, it can lead to coma if the levels become too high.
Normally, Lactulose is the medication everyone uses to keep these levels low, but they don't always work and the medicine often needs adjusting to the high and low levels that occur. There are a few other meds that can be used such as Xifaxan, but Lactulose or Enulose are the most common.
The hospital will know how to bring the level down so that your dad will come back to his senses so to speak. Even though it will tell you that permanent brain damage can occur in some cases, I have known at least 100 people who have had problems with it and none of them had any brain damage. It's a temporary condition that goes away once the ammonia levels are under control.
This is a symptom of liver failure (cirrhosis) in the more advanced stages of the disease. Someone experiencing this is probably going to need a transplant or already does need a liver transplant. I hope this might be an option for your father because there is no cure for cirrhosis other than a transplant. I'm sorry your father is so sick.
I had cirrhosis and my tolerance level was pretty high for high ammonia. Mine used to run about 100 all the time and the most it ever did to me was make me tired. Other people are not so lucky. You can have someone like me, and then someone else who goes to 100 might get totally confused and out of their mind so to speak. My transplant doctor used to tell me to pay attention to the symptoms I am experiencing rather than the numbers.
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