If you are unable to work because of Liver Failure you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our TPD claim solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our TPD lawyers will give you advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our advice service.

Our TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement.

We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin.

Liver Failure - TPD

Chronic liver failure and cirrhosis are leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Australia and many are preventable. Common preventable causes of chronic liver failure include non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis and excessive consumption of alcohol. The biggest problem is that the disease is relatively asymptomatic until the liver decompensates completely so that you get jaundice, excessive fluid in the lower half of the body and abdomen, hepatic encephalopathy, bacterial peritonitis, portal hypertension, oesophageal varices and other complications of chronic liver failure.

Cirrhosis and chronic liver failure is quite common and is the 12th most common cause of death in Australia. Over 2,000 individuals die from these diseases every year. Slightly more males suffer from these conditions than females. About forty percent of patients have no symptoms and it is only found during blood testing or during imaging studies. Autopsies can show the presence of severe liver disease, even if the patient died from other causes.

Tests for chronic liver disease can include liver function studies, a CBC with platelets and a prothrombin time, which can tell if there are bleeding problems associated with chronic liver disease. If these are inconclusive, a CT scan of the abdomen or MRI scan of the abdomen can show shrinkage or enlargement of the liver with scarring of the liver. A liver biopsy can be a definitive test for liver failure and can show damaged liver cells and significant scarring and fatty deposits in the liver. An abdominal ultrasound can be done as well. The important liver tests for liver disease are the AST and the ALT, which are enzymes that are released during liver disease.

Sixty to seventy percent of cases of chronic liver disease occur from alcohol use. Another 5-10 percent are due to biliary obstruction, such as biliary atresia (which is congenital), congenital biliary cysts and cystic fibrosis. Chronic hepatitis B or C account for 10 percent of cases. Haemochromatosis accounts for five to ten percent of cases and a condition called NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) comes from obesity or gastric bypass surgery and can cause ten percent of cases. Less common causes of chronic liver disease are autoimmune diseases, drugs or toxins, genetic metabolic diseases, infections like brucellosis and schistosomiasis, idiopathic diseases and vascular abnormalities such as right sided heart failure. As many as 75 to 80 percent of chronic liver disease cases are completely avoidable by not drinking alcohol, preventing hepatitis and controlling obesity. Mortality rates are higher in alcoholic hepatitis than in those who have other forms of chronic liver disease.

The liver normally processes amino acids, lipids, vitamins, drugs, toxins, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. It makes clotting factors and stores glycogen, made from glucose, for energy. If the liver is injured in some way, the disease is called hepatitis. If there is fibrosis, nodules and scar tissue, the condition is called cirrhosis. The liver shrinks and becomes less smooth and shiny. The fibrosis is somewhat reversible in hepatitis B if antiviral medication is given. Any time there is an insult to the liver that lasts long enough, cirrhosis can be the result. It takes a destruction of 80-90 percent of liver tissue to result in clinical disease. Cirrhosis is often a silent disease.

Symptoms of cirrhosis and chronic liver disease include weight loss, weakness, fatigue, osteoporosis, jaundice of the skin, and jaundice of the eyes. There can be encephalopathy of the brain due to elevated ammonia levels, and oesophageal varices or varicose veins of the oesophagus, bleeding disorders, and an increased abdominal girth.

The treatment of chronic liver disease includes supportive measures, measures to take off the excess fluid, medications to enhance the ability to clot and the removal of anything that can worsen liver disease. There are medications to lower the ammonia level that can decrease hepatic encephalopathy. In severe cases, a donor liver transplant of an entire liver or a portion of the liver can restore liver function. Living donors can be used because only a small portion of the liver needs to be transplanted and the liver can regenerate itself from the portion given from the donor.

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