title: Liver involvement in systemic infection.
abstract: The liver is often involved in systemic infections, resulting in various types of abnormal liver function test results. In particular, hyperbilirubinemia in the range of 2-10 mg/dL is often seen in patients with sepsis, and several mechanisms for this phenomenon have been proposed. In this review, we summarize how the liver is involved in various systemic infections that are not considered to be primarily hepatotropic. In most patients with systemic infections, treatment for the invading microbes is enough to normalize the liver function tests. However, some patients may show severe liver injury or fulminant hepatic failure, requiring intensive treatment of the liver.
authors.affiliation: Masami Minemura, Kazuto Tajiri, The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minemura
authors.affiliation: Masami Minemura, Kazuto Tajiri, The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tajiri
authors.affiliation: Masami Minemura, Kazuto Tajiri, The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
keywords: Immunology; Liver dysfunction; Liver failure; Liver function test; Systemic infection