65-year-old woman in Singapore suffers sudden liver failure, family appealing for help
Ms Chen Xiuhua, a 65-year-old woman who lives in Bishan, was diagnosed with acute liver failure after suffering from low blood sugar, dizziness, and discomfort for two weeks.
She then foamed at the mouth and collapsed in her room on Thursday evening (17 Apr), prompting her family to call an ambulance.
Her husband, 65-year-old Mr He Wenyou, told Shin Min Daily that her wife was still conscious at the beginning of her hospitalisation, but her health deteriorated and she fell into a coma within three days.
Source: Shin Min Daily
With only 20% of her liver function left, Ms Chen is currently relying on medication and machines to sustain her life.
Family urgently appeals for liver donor
Ms Chen was recently placed on the waiting list for a liver donor, but finding her a match is a race against time.
Members of Ms Chen’s immediate family want to donate their liver, but they were found to be incompatible.
Mr He, his 39-year-old son, and 36-year-old daughter were tested, but their blood type and the size of their liver did not match.
Meanwhile, Ms Chen’s siblings were also not eligible to donate as they are over 55 years old.
As such, her family sought the help of social media and the Chinese daily to find her a suitable donor.
The donor — who can be of any gender — must be between 21 and 55 years old, have type O blood, weigh at least 45 kilograms, and have no liver disease nor be a carrier of virus, including hepatitis A and B.
Mr He stressed that his wife only needs a partial liver transplant, so the donor’s liver function will not be affected. All matching test costs will also be shouldered by the family.
Estimated cost of medical treatment up to S$500,000
Mr He revealed that Ms Chen was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) after falling into a coma, which has accumulated to an S$100,000 bill for four nights.
Source: Shin Min Daily
If a liver donor is found, the cost of the transplant surgery will be about S$50,000. With long-term monitoring and treatment, the overall cost of Ms Chen’s medical expenses is estimated to be between S$400,000 and S$500,000.
“We are just an ordinary working-class family. My wife has been a housewife since our daughter started primary school,” Mr He expressed.
“Although we have insurance, the high medical expenses and the fact that we have not yet found a suitable liver source put me under a lot of pressure,” he added.
Hospital has yet to find cause of sudden liver failure
According to Mr He, Ms Chen has always been in good health, so her illness took the family by surprise. The hospital has also yet to find the cause of her sudden liver failure.
Mr He recalls his wife had food poisoning from eating leftover food two months ago, which caused vomiting and diarrhoea, but her symptoms stopped when she got an injection.
The doctor also asked whether Ms Chen had taken any health products or Chinese medicine, but he assured that his wife had not.
Dr Wei Juntao, a gastroenterology and hepatobiliary specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena, said acute liver failure may be caused by drugs, Chinese medicine or health products, or immune system conditions, but may not have a clear cause in some cases.
Patients with acute liver failure usually suffer from jaundice, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in severe cases, a brain dysfunction called hepatic encephalopathy, which can lead to death.
However, liver transplant surgery has a very high success rate. The doctor also added that the risk to liver donors is very low, with the organ recovering 100% of its function within two months.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily, Lianhe Zaobao.
