Cirrhosis of the Liver(Liver Cirrhosis) — Everything You Need to Know
The last stage of complications and results of liver disease is known as liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis can happen to anyone, as it is related to several other underlying diseases, including some quite prevalent diseases like diabetes mellitus. During cirrhosis of the liver, the liver’s healthy tissue is replaced with scarred tissue that damages the liver permanently. The last stage of liver cirrhosis can even turn fatal.
About Ketto
Ketto is a non-profit crowdfunding site that has always come forward to raise awareness regarding several medical problems. Ketto is very user-friendly, which allows you to donate super easily. Ketto has once again come up to receive donations specifically for the treatment of liver cirrhosis patients. There are so many people around us who are suffering from this life-threatening disease but are helpless due to insufficient funds for treatment. Ketto cannot help them alone, but together we can make changes. You may donate as little as Rs. 100 with a big heart for liver cirrhosis patients towards their treatment.
Take a step towards the noble cause of #LiverCirrhosisTreatment by donating now at https://www.ketto.org/new/crowdfunding.
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What Is Liver Cirrhosis?
Several liver problems and diseases damage the healthy liver tissues, causing cell inflammation and death. This cell inflammation leads to cell repair and tissue scarring. These scar tissues block the liver’s blood flow. This hinders smooth blood flow through the liver, thereby slowing the processing of drugs, nutrients, and hormones and reducing the protein production by the liver. Liver cirrhosis hinders the normal functioning of the liver.
Who Is At Risk of Liver Cirrhosis?
People with a certain lifestyle and medical issues are at higher risk of getting liver cirrhosis, such as:
- Diabetes patients
- Hepatitis patients
- Alcohol abusers
- With a history of liver problems
- Obesity
- Unprotected sex
- Sharing needles with drug injections
What Are the Symptoms of Liver Cirrhosis?
The signs and symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver depend upon the stage of the disease. In the initial stages, there are no symptoms at all. During the middle stage of the disease, the symptoms are quite commonly confused with other problems and diseases like appetite loss, fatigue, fever, weight loss, and nausea.
At the later stage of the disease, the liver cirrhosis shows symptoms of:
- Jaundice
- Premature menopause
- Enlarged breasts and shrunken testicles in men
- Itchiness
- Memory loss
- Fluid build-up in abdomen or belly
- Bruising
- Swelling in legs, ankles, and feet
- Light-coloured stool
- Blood in stool
- Brownish orange urine
- Red palms
What Are the Causes of Liver Cirrhosis?
Changes due to liver diseases leading to cirrhosis of the liver happen quite slowly. It starts with the injured liver cells causing the deterioration of the liver cells, which are then replaced by the scar tissues. With time, these scar tissues replace all the damaged liver cells causing cirrhosis of the liver.
There are many factors causing liver cirrhosis. A few of them are:
- Chronic use of alcohol
- Chronic viral infections in the liver like hepatitis and autoimmune hepatitis
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver due to diabetes and obesity
- Hereditary diseases like alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and Alagille syndrome
- Diseases related to blockage or damage of the liver bile duct-like biliary atresia, cholangitis, and bile duct infections
- Chronic heart failure
- Few rare diseases like amyloidosis
Diagnosis of Liver Cirrhosis
Your healthcare provider usually starts the diagnosis by examining the medical history and medicinal drugs taken before for the problem. Liver cirrhosis is generally suspected if there was persistent alcohol abuse, drug abuse, hepatitis, or the symptoms mentioned above. There is a physical examination for the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis followed by several other tests like:
- Blood test
- Imaging tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, computerized tomography (CT) scan, abdominal ultrasound
- Liver biopsy
Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis
The target of liver cirrhosis treatment is to de-escalate the liver damage, prevent and treat the complications and the symptoms. The treatment depends upon at what stage the liver cirrhosis, how much liver damage has happened, and what is the underlying disease causing the cirrhosis. The treatments are as follows:
- Alcohol-related liver disease: For cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse, alcohol consumption should be stopped immediately. The healthcare provider would suggest you for an alcohol addiction treatment program.
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Usually, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs due to obesity and diabetes. With the management of weight loss, proper diet, physical exercises, and diabetes medications can prove to be helpful.
- Inherited liver disease: The treatment completely depends upon the individual inherited disease. For alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, medications to minimize swelling in the abdomen and legs, antibiotics for infections, and other medicines for complications can do the needful treatment. For hemochromatosis, blood can be removed in order to decrease the iron level in blood. For Wilson disease, medications can provide aid in removing copper levels in the blood. For cystic fibrosis, lung function can be improved by medications.
- Autoimmune hepatitis: Medications can be used to suppress the immune system for the treatment.
- Hepatitis: Hepatitis B and C have several approved meditational drugs available for the treatment.
- Heart failure: The treatment for heart failure depends upon the stage and the cause of the heart failure. Medicational drugs can help reduce cholesterol levels, manage high blood pressure, improve heart function, and remove surplus fluid from the body. Even surgeries and implantation of the devices can help unblock the arteries, repair the heart valves, and improve blood pumping.
- Disease in liver bile duct: Surgeries and other medications can help in opening the blocked bile ducts.
What Are the Complications of Liver Cirrhosis?
There are several complications associated with liver cirrhosis, such as:
- Liver cancer
- Liver failure
- Liver infections
- Malnutrition
- Hypersplenism
- Portal hypertension
FAQs About Liver Cirrhosis
- Is liver cirrhosis a genetic disease?
Cirrhosis of the liver is not a genetic disease; however, there are several other genetic disorders that can lead to liver cirrhosis.
2. Is liver cirrhosis a fatal disease?
Liver cirrhosis is not a fatal disease. But as the cirrhosis of the liver progresses, more scarring occurs, and liver functioning degrades. Eventually, the disease can turn fatal.
3. Is cirrhosis of the liver painful?
Yes, cirrhosis of the liver is painful, especially as the disease progresses. It is found to cause chronic pain. The pain can be due to liver diseases as well as due to liver cirrhosis.
4. Can liver cirrhosis be cured?
No, there is no cure for liver cirrhosis. However, an early diagnosis can help in further stages of cirrhosis of the liver. Although the damage done is permanent, the underlying disease-causing liver cirrhosis can be treated, thereby preventing any further damage.
5. How common is cirrhosis of the liver?
1 in 200 adults has liver cirrhosis in the United States. Cirrhosis is quite common in adults aging from 45 to 54.
Liver Cirrhosis is the endpoint in patients who have chronic progressive liver disease. There are several families and individuals who are counting on you. Together we can do this!
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