Symptoms of Alpers Syndrome
Symptoms of Alpers Syndrome
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Alpers Syndrome includes the 45
symptoms listed below:
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Alpers Syndrome: Complications
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Alpers Syndrome Symptoms: Book Excerpts
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Alpers Syndrome: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Alpers Syndrome:
Less Common Symptoms of Alpers Syndrome:
Ocassionally other symptoms may also present themselves as symptoms of Alpers Syndrome.
2
of the more common ones are included in the list below:
- Late onset jaundice
- Late onset liver cirrhosis
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More information about symptoms of Alpers Syndrome and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Alpers Syndrome
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Alpers Syndrome
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Alpers Syndrome.
Medical Books Excerpts
- Hepatitis
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Related videos for Alpers Syndrome
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See full list of 8 related videos
Patient Surveys for Alpers Syndrome
Symptoms of Alpers Syndrome: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Alpers Syndrome.
Viral hepatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Assessment findings are similar for the different types of hepatitis. Typically, signs and symptoms progress in several stages.
In the prodromal (preicteric) stage, the patient typically complains of easy fatigue and anorexia (possibly with mild weight loss), generalized malaise, depression, headache, weakness, arthralgia, myalgia, photophobia, and nausea with vomiting. He also may describe changes in his senses of taste and smell.
Assessment of the patient’s vital signs may reveal a fever of 100° to 102° F (37.8° to 38.9° C). As the prodromal stage ends, usually 1 to 5 days before the onset of the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of urine and stool specimens may reveal dark-colored urine and clay-colored stools.
If the patient has progressed to the clinical jaundice stage, he may report pruritus, abdominal pain or tenderness, and indigestion. Early in this stage, he may complain of anorexia; later, his appetite may return. Inspection of the sclerae, mucous membranes, and skin may reveal jaundice, which can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Jaundice indicates that the damaged liver is unable to remove bilirubin from the blood; however, its presence doesn’t indicate the severity of the disease. Occasionally, hepatitis occurs without jaundice.
During the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of the skin may detect rashes, erythematous patches, or urticaria, especially if the patient has hepatitis B or C. Palpation may disclose abdominal tenderness in the right upper quadrant, an enlarged and tender liver and, in some cases, splenomegaly and cervical adenopathy.
During the recovery (posticteric) stage, most of the patient’s symptoms decrease or subside. On palpation, a decrease in liver enlargement may be noted. The recovery phase commonly lasts from 2 to 12 weeks, although sometimes this phase lasts longer in the patient with hepatitis B, C, or E.Little is known about hepatitis G.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hepatic encephalopathy:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy vary (depending on the severity of neurologic involvement) and develop in four stages:
❑ In the prodromal stage, early signs and symptoms are commonly overlooked because they’re so subtle: slight personality changes (disorientation, forgetfulness, and slurred speech) and a slight tremor.
❑ During the impending stage, tremor progresses into asterixis (liver flap and flapping tremor), the hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy. Asterixis is characterized by quick, irregular extensions and flexions of the wrists and fingers, when the wrists are held out straight and the hands flexed upward. Lethargy, aberrant behavior, and apraxia also occur.
❑ At the stuporous stage, hyperventilation occurs; the patient is typically stuporous, but becomes noisy and abusive when aroused.
❑ In the comatose stage, the patient has hyperactive reflexes, a positive Babinski’s sign, fetor hepaticus (musty, sweet odor to the breath), and coma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Nonviral hepatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical features of toxic and drug-induced hepatitis vary with the severity of the liver damage and the causative agent. In most patients, signs and symptoms resemble those of viral hepatitis: anorexia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, dark urine, hepatomegaly, possible abdominal pain (with acute onset and massive necrosis), and clay-colored stools or pruritus with the cholestatic form of hepatitis. Carbon tetrachloride poisoning also produces headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and vasomotor collapse; halothane-related hepatitis produces fever, moderate leukocytosis, and eosinophilia; chlorpromazine toxicity produces abrupt fever, rash, arthralgia, lymphadenopathy, and epigastric or right upper quadrant pain.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Cirrhosis and fibrosis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical manifestations of cirrhosis and fibrosis are similar for all types, regardless of the cause. Early indications are vague, but usually include GI signs and symptoms (anorexia, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea) and a dull abdominal ache. Major and late signs and symptoms develop as a result of hepatic insufficiency and portal hypertension:
❑ Respiratory — pleural effusion and limited thoracic expansion due to abdominal ascites, interfering with efficient gas exchange and leading to hypoxia
❑ Central nervous system — progressive signs or symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy — lethargy, mental changes, slurred speech, asterixis (flapping tremor), peripheral neuritis, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme obtundation, and coma
❑ Hematologic — bleeding tendencies (nosebleeds, easy bruising, and bleeding gums) and anemia
❑ Endocrine — testicular atrophy, menstrual irregularities, gynecomastia, and loss of chest and axillary hair
❑ Skin — severe pruritus, extreme dryness, poor tissue turgor, abnormal pigmentation, spider angiomas, palmar erythema, and possibly jaundice
❑ Hepatic — jaundice, hepatomegaly, ascites, edema of the legs, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatorenal syndrome comprise the other major effects of full-fledged cirrhosis
❑ Miscellaneous — musty breath, enlarged superficial abdominal veins, muscle atrophy, pain in the right upper abdominal quadrant that worsens when the patient sits up or leans forward, palpable liver or spleen, and temperature of 101° to 103° F (38.3° to 39.4° C). Bleeding from esophageal varices results from portal hypertension.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hepatitis, viral:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Assessment findings are similar for the different types of hepatitis. Typically, signs and symptoms progress in three stages — prodromal (preicteric), clinical (icteric), and recovery (posticteric).
Prodromal stage
In the prodromal stage, the patient typically complains of easy fatigue, anorexia (possibly with mild weight loss), generalized malaise, depression, headache, weakness, arthralgia, myalgia, photophobia, and nausea with vomiting. He also may describe changes in his senses of taste and smell.
Assessment of vital signs may reveal a temperature of 100° to 102° F (37.8° to 38.9° C). As the prodromal stage draws to a close, usually 1 to 5 days before the onset of the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of urine and stool specimens may reveal dark-colored urine and clay-colored stools.
Clinical jaundice stage
If the patient has progressed to the clinical jaundice stage, he may report pruritus, abdominal pain or tenderness, and indigestion. Early in this stage, he may complain of anorexia; later, his appetite may return. Inspection of the sclerae, mucous membranes, and skin may reveal jaundice, which can last for 1 to 2 weeks.
Jaundice indicates that the damaged liver can’t remove bilirubin from the blood, but it doesn’t indicate the severity of the disease. Occasionally, hepatitis occurs without jaundice.
During the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of the skin may detect rashes, erythematous patches, and urticaria, especially if the patient has hepatitis B or C. Palpation may disclose abdominal tenderness in the right upper quadrant, an enlarged and tender liver and, in some cases, splenomegaly and cervical adenopathy.
Recovery stage
During the recovery stage, most of the patient’s symptoms decrease or subside. On palpation, a decrease in liver enlargement may be noted. The recovery stage commonly lasts from 2 to 12 weeks, although sometimes this stage lasts longer in patients with hepatitis B, C, or E.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Hepatic encephalopathy:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Clinical manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy vary, depending on the severity of neurologic involvement, and develop in four stages. Encephalopathy is usually graded by behavioral changes, the presence of asterixis, and EEG findings, with behavioral changes being the most apparent indicator.
❑ Grade or stage I (prodromal stage): mood fluctuation, sleep-wake reversal, forgetfulness; commonly overlooked because early symptoms, such as slight personality changes (disorientation, slurred speech) and a slight tremor, are subtle.
❑ Grade or stage II (impending stage): disorientation, confusion; may be incontinent; tremor progressing to asterixis, the hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy. Asterixis is characterized by quick, irregular extensions and flexions of the wrists and fingers when the wrists are held out straight and the hands flexed upward. Lethargy, aberrant behavior, and apraxia also occur.
❑ Grade or stage III (stuporous stage): hyperventilation; patient is stuporous but noisy and abusive when aroused.
❑ Grade or stage IV (comatose stage): hyperactive reflexes, a positive Babinski’s sign, fetor hepaticus (musty, sweet breath odor), and coma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Hepatitis, nonviral:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Clinical features of toxic and drug-induced hepatitis vary with the severity of the liver damage and the causative agent. In most patients, symptoms resemble those of viral hepatitis: anorexia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, dark urine, hepatomegaly, possibly abdominal pain (with acute onset and massive necrosis), clay-colored stools, and pruritus with the cholestatic form of hepatitis.
Clinical tip Carbon tetrachloride poisoning also produces headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and vasomotor collapse; halothane-related hepatitis produces fever, moderate leukocytosis, and eosinophilia; chlorpromazine produces a rash, abrupt fever, arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, and epigastric or right upper quadrant pain.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cirrhosis:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Signs and symptoms of cirrhosis and fibrosis are similar for all types, regardless of cause. Early indications are insidious and vague but usually include weakness, fatigue, muscle cramps, weight loss, GI signs and symptoms (anorexia, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea), and abdominal pain (which may be attributed to an enlarged liver).
Major and late signs and symptoms develop as a result of hepatic insufficiency and portal hypertension and include the following:
❑ respiratory — pleural effusion and limited thoracic expansion because of abdominal ascites, interfering with efficient gas exchange and leading to hypoxia
❑ central nervous system — progressive signs and symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy: lethargy, mental changes, slurred speech, asterixis (flapping tremor), peripheral neuritis, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme obtundation, and coma
❑ hematologic — bleeding tendencies (nosebleeds, easy bruising, bleeding gums), anemia, and hematemesis
❑ endocrine — testicular atrophy, menstrual irregularities, gynecomastia, loss of chest and axillary hair, loss of libido, and sterility
❑ skin — severe pruritus, extreme dryness, poor tissue turgor, abnormal pigmentation, spider nevi (on upper half of body), palmar erythema, jaundice, and peripheral edema
❑ hepatic — jaundice, hepatomegaly, ascites, edema of the legs, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatorenal syndrome constitute the other major effects of full-fledged cirrhosis
❑ miscellaneous — musty breath, enlarged superficial abdominal veins, muscle atrophy, pain in the right upper abdominal quadrant that worsens when the patient sits up or leans forward, splenomegaly, and wasting appearance of chronic illness. Fever may be present and usually associated with portal hepatitis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, or cholangitis. Bleeding from esophageal and rectal varices results from portal hypertension.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Cirrhosis:
Cirrhosis - signs & symptoms
(The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult)
- Compensated (latent) cirrhosis: Asymptomatic, with no signs or symptoms of liver disease. Discovered incidentally either during routine physical examinations with an enlarged liver and/or palpable spleen, or as a result of an investigation for an unrelated condition.
- Decompensated (active) cirrhosis: As cirrhosis progresses, overt signs and symptoms may occur including failure to thrive, muscle weakness, fatigue, fever, jaundice, pruritus, edema, abdominal pain, ascites, steatorrhea, and spontaneous bleeding (i.e., epistaxis) or bruising. This stage may also present with acute, precipitous liver failure or a life-threatening complication such as an esophageal variceal hemorrhage.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008
Hepatitis:
Presentation
(Pediatric Infectious Disease)
Hepatitis A is an RNA virus that usually causes a self-limited illness
associated with fever, jaundice, and anorexia. In children younger than 5 years
of age, cases are often anicteric and frequently misdiagnosed as
gastroenteritis. Rarely, hepatitis A leads to a fulminant disease, which can be
fatal. Chronic infection does not occur, although prolonged disease causing
relapsing jaundice has been described.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Pediatric Infectious Disease, 2004
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Alpers Syndrome:
First signs of the disease, which include
intractable seizures and failure to meet meaningful developmental
milestones, usually occur in infancy. Primary symptoms of the disease are
developmental delay, progressive mental retardation, hypotonia (low muscle
tone), spasticity (stiffness of the limbs), and dementia. Seizures may
include epilepsia partialis continua, a type of seizure that consists of
repeated myoclonic (muscle) jerks. Optic atrophy may also occur, often
leading to blindness. And, although physical signs of chronic liver
dysfunction may not be present, many patients suffer liver impairment
leading to liver failure.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Alpers' Disease Information Page: NINDS)
Alpers Syndrome as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Alpers Syndrome, it is also important to consider Alpers Syndrome as a possible cause of other medical conditions.
The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Alpers Syndrome may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Alpers Syndrome:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Alpers Syndrome.
This signs and symptoms information for Alpers Syndrome has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Alpers Syndrome signs or Alpers Syndrome symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Alpers Syndrome may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Alpers Syndrome symptoms.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver often spread through sexual contact. But people are usually unaware they carry the virus. Find out if...
Most people know that alcohol abuse can cause liver damage. But what exactly does alcohol do to your liver? And how much alcohol puts you at risk?...
Hepatitis C is called a silent epidemic because many people are unaware they carry this virus of the liver. But experts say hepatitis C is a public...
Allen Willner was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease early in the disease process. With medication and the care of his wife, he's slowing the...
See full list of 8 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Alpers Syndrome
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