| 1 | DVBCWLL1 ;ALB/JEH LIVER, GALL BLADDER AND PANCREAS WKS TEXT - 1 ; 19 FEBRUARY 1999 | 
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| 2 | ;;2.7;AMIE;**74**;July 22, 2004 | 
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| 3 | ; | 
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| 4 | ; | 
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| 5 | TXT ; | 
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| 6 | ;; | 
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| 7 | ;;A. Review of Medical Records: This may be of particular importance when | 
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| 8 | ;;   hepatitis C or chronic liver disease is claimed as related to service. | 
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| 9 | ;; | 
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| 10 | ;;B. Medical History (Subjective Complaints): | 
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| 11 | ;; | 
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| 12 | ;;   1. For Gall Bladder Disease (Including Gall bladder removal): Episodes of | 
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| 13 | ;;      colic or other abdominal pain, distention, nausea, and / or vomiting. | 
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| 14 | ;;      Include a statement on frequency of attacks (number within past year). | 
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| 15 | ;;      Provide statement as to what x-ray (or other) evidence supports diagnosis | 
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| 16 | ;;      of chronic cholycystitis. Include current treatment - type (medication, | 
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| 17 | ;;      diet, etc.), duration, response, side effects. For Gall Bladder injury, | 
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| 18 | ;;      refer to Stomach, Duodenum and Peritoneal Adhesions worksheet. | 
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| 19 | ;; | 
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| 20 | ;;   2. For Pancreatic conditions: Does veteran have steatorrhea, malabsorption, | 
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| 21 | ;;      or malnutrition? Comment on whether veteran has attacks of abdominal | 
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| 22 | ;;      pain. Include frequency of attacks (per year). Comment on whether veteran | 
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| 23 | ;;      has diarrhea, weight loss. Is there evidence of continuing pancreatic | 
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| 24 | ;;      insufficiency between acute attacks? Provide evidence (lab or other | 
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| 25 | ;;      clinical studies) that abdominal pain is a consequence of pancreatic | 
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| 26 | ;;      disease. Has veteran had pancreatic surgery? If so, describe. Include | 
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| 27 | ;;      current treatment - type (medication, diet, enzymes, etc.), duration, | 
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| 28 | ;;      response, side effects. | 
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| 29 | ;; | 
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| 30 | ;;   3. For Chronic Liver disease (including hepatitis B, chronic active | 
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| 31 | ;;      hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hemochromatosis, drug-induced hepatitis, | 
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| 32 | ;;      etc., but excluding bile duct disorders and Hepatitis C): (a) Does | 
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| 33 | ;;      veteran have "incapacitating episodes" (defined as periods of acute signs | 
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| 34 | ;;      and symptoms with symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, | 
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| 35 | ;;      anorexia, arthralgia, and right upper quadrant pain with symptoms severe | 
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| 36 | ;;      enough to require bed rest and treatment by a physician)? If so, provide | 
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| 37 | ;;      frequency of episodes and total duration of episodes over the past | 
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| 38 | ;;      12-month period. Please include comment on whether this is veteran | 
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| 39 | ;;      reported, and / or documented in the available records. (b) Include | 
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| 40 | ;;      current treatment - type (medication, diet, enzymes, etc.), duration, | 
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| 41 | ;;      response, side effects. (c) Comment on presence and severity (e.g. | 
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| 42 | ;;      near-constant, debilitating, daily or intermittent), as appropriate, of | 
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| 43 | ;;      fatigue, malaise, anorexia and weight loss, right upper quadrant pain and | 
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| 44 | ;;      hepatomegaly. (d) Include a history of risk factors for the liver | 
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| 45 | ;;      condition which the veteran is claiming service connection. For instance | 
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| 46 | ;;      (as appropriate) is there a history of occupational blood exposure? IV | 
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| 47 | ;;      drug use? Taking medications that are associated with liver disease? | 
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| 48 | ;;      Include a history of alcohol use / abuse, past and present. See and | 
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| 49 | ;;      address 4. Cirrhosis of the liver when cirrhosis is a sequelae. See and | 
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| 50 | ;;      address 7 (below) where veteran is status post liver transplant. | 
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| 51 | ;; | 
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| 52 | ;;   4. For Cirrhosis of the Liver, primary biliary cirrhosis, cirrhotic phase of | 
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| 53 | ;;      sclerosing cholangitis, or as a sequelae of hepatitis from any cause: | 
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| 54 | ;;      (a)Fully describe the following, indicating, as appropriate, the number | 
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| 55 | ;;      of episodes, periods of remission, or whether the condition is refractory | 
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| 56 | ;;      to treatment: (i) ascites, (ii) hepatic encephalopathy, (iii) hemorrhage | 
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| 57 | ;;      from varicies (include comment on episodes of hemetemesis and/or melana, | 
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| 58 | ;;      (iv) portal gastropathy (v) portal hypertension, (vi) jaundice. (b) | 
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| 59 | ;;      comment on: (i) current treatment (s) (medications, diet, response, side | 
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| 60 | ;;      effects, duration) (ii) Discuss presence, frequency (e.g., daily, | 
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| 61 | ;;      intermittent, etc.) and severity of each of the following: weakness, | 
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| 62 | ;;      anorexia, malaise, abdominal pain, weight loss (include amount and time | 
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| 63 | ;;      frame), weight gain, and weakness. See and address 3 (above) where | 
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| 64 | ;;      cirrhosis is a sequaele of Chronic Liver disease (including hepatitis B, | 
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| 65 | ;;      chronic active hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hemochromatosis, | 
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| 66 | ;;      drug-induced hepatitis, etc., but excluding bile duct disorders | 
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| 67 | ;;      and Hepatitis C). See and address 7 (below) where veteran is status | 
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| 68 | ;;      post liver transplant. | 
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| 69 | ;; | 
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| 70 | ;;   5. For Hepatitis C: (a) Does veteran have "incapacitating episodes" (defined | 
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| 71 | ;;      as periods of acute signs and symptoms with symptoms such as fatigue, | 
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| 72 | ;;      malaise, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, arthralgia, and right upper quadrant | 
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| 73 | ;;      pain with symptoms severe enough to require bed rest and treatment by a | 
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| 74 | ;;      physician)? If so, provide frequency of episodes and total duration of | 
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| 75 | ;;      episodes over the past 12-month period. Please include comment on whether | 
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| 76 | ;;      this is veteran reported, and/ or documented in the available records. | 
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| 77 | ;;      (b) comment on: (i) current treatment (s) (medications, diet, response, | 
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| 78 | ;;      side effects, duration) (ii) Discuss presence, frequency (e.g., daily, | 
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| 79 | ;;      intermittent, etc.) and severity of each of the following: weakness, | 
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| 80 | ;;      anorexia, malaise, abdominal pain, weight loss (include amount and time | 
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| 81 | ;;      frame), weight gain, and weakness. (c) Include a history of risk factors | 
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| 82 | ;;      for the liver condition for which the veteran is claiming service | 
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| 83 | ;;      connection. For instance (as appropriate) is there a history of | 
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| 84 | ;;      occupational blood exposure? IV drug use? See established risk factors | 
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| 85 | ;;      for Hepatitis C, below. See and address 7 (below) where veteran is status | 
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| 86 | ;;      post liver transplant. | 
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| 87 | ;; | 
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| 88 | ;;   6. For Liver Malignancy: Address presence or absence of symptomatolgy, etc., | 
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| 89 | ;;      as outlined in both: 3. (For Chronic Liver disease (including hepatitis B, | 
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| 90 | ;;      chronic active hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hemochromatosis, | 
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| 91 | ;;      drug-induced hepatitis, etc., but excluding bile duct disorders and | 
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| 92 | ;;      Hepatitis C) and 4. (For Cirrhosis of the Liver, primary biliary | 
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| 93 | ;;      cirrhosis, cirrhotic phase of sclerosing cholangitis, or as a sequelae | 
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| 94 | ;;      of hepatitis from any cause) above. | 
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| 95 | ;; | 
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| 96 | ;;   7. For Liver Transplant: Provide date of transplant. Describe current | 
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| 97 | ;;      treatment(s) (medications, diet, response, side effects, duration). | 
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| 98 | ;;      Please refer to additional AMIE worksheets to address conditions veteran | 
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| 99 | ;;      has as a consequence of the transplant, treatment for the transplant, and | 
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| 100 | ;;      as a consequence of any underlying disease that prompted the transplant | 
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| 101 | ;;      in the first place (e.g. extrahepatic complications / manifestations of | 
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| 102 | ;;      hepatitis C). | 
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| 103 | ;; | 
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