A patient with liver cirrhosis experiences significantly reduced glycogen storage capacity. Which mechanism explains why blood glucose levels become unstable, especially during fasting?

💡 Explanation

The liver normally buffers blood glucose by storing it as glycogen and releasing it via glycogenolysis when needed. Because cirrhosis impairs glycogen storage, the liver cannot perform glycogenolysis effectively to maintain glucose levels during fasting; therefore, glucose levels become unstable, rather than being stabilized by other processes.

• If antibiotic resistance genes spread from resistant bacteria to non-resistant bacteria via horizontal gene transfer in a patient's gut microbiome, which consequence follows?
• An individual with a known bee sting allergy experiences anaphylaxis after being stung. Which mechanism explains why localized mast cell degranulation rapidly leads to systemic vasodilation and bronchoconstriction?
• In a dehydrated patient, what happens to urine production because of vasopressin's influence on aquaporins?
• What distinguishes Graves' disease hyperthyroidism from thyroid adenoma-induced hyperthyroidism in terms of TSH receptor activity?
• An individual taking an SSRI antidepressant experiences increased serotonin levels in the synaptic cleft. Which effect dominates in the postsynaptic neuron due to this change?
• Why does a pituitary adenoma causing excess ACTH secretion lead to increased susceptibility to infections?