Fulminant liver disease.

Fulminant liver disease, acute liver failure (ALF), is one of the most intriguing and challenging conditions in the entire field of internal medicine. ALF is defined as the onset of hepatic encephalopathy and coagulopathy in patients with no known underlying liver disease within 8 to 26 weeks of onset of illness. Many cases develop within a few days, dramatically transforming an otherwise healthy individual to a patient with a high risk for developing multi-organ failure and death.