What is liver Cirrhosis?
Liver cirrhosis is a devastating condition affecting thousands of people every year. It is a condition that results from chronic alcohol consumption and has many other reasons behind it. Liver cirrhosis is an end-stage liver disease characterized by the deep scarring of the liver tissue. In this condition, the healthy liver tissue is replaced with damaged tissue leaving a permanent scar in the liver. The damaged liver tissue may keep your liver from functioning properly.
Also, various liver diseases and conditions injure the healthy liver cells and result in hepatocyte cell death and inflammation. This is followed by cell repair and, finally, tissue scarring due to the repair process.
The damaged/scarred tissue inhibits the blood flow towards the liver. It hampers its ability to digest and process the various nutrients, medications, hormones, and natural toxins (poisons) that we consume in our day to day life. The liver also plays a vital role in producing proteins and other substances, which may be hampered due to liver disease like liver cirrhosis. Liver Cirrhosis treatment, when not undertaken at the right time, can become a life-threatening disorder.
Liver Cirrhosis is one of the deadliest complications, which is caused by liver diseases. Irreversible scarring and loss of liver cells are involved in Liver Cirrhosis. The major causes of Liver Cirrhosis are consumption of alcohol and Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C as well. There can be other causes and diseases which may lead to cirrhosis of the liver.
Symptoms Of Liver Cirrhosis
People in the initial stages may go through a feeling of weakness, and there might be a sudden loss in weight without any particular reason. In the later stages, the patients may have jaundice. The following are the symptoms that a person suffering from Liver Cirrhosis may have in different parts of the body:
Abdomen: There may be severe pain in the abdomen region, and veins around the belly button may get enlarged.
Gastrointestinal: There may be bleeding occurrences, and fluids may start to accumulate in the abdomen. There can be an excessive formation of gas. The Excretion of dark stool is also a visible symptom.
Skin: Skin may turn yellow along with swelling of blood vessels that can be visible through the skin.
Mind: It not only affects the body but the mind as well; you may go through nausea and may feel a sense of confusion all the time.
Whole Body: You may gain or lose weight unintentionally without doing anything about it. There can be breast enlargement, dark urine, breathlessness, itching, vomiting of blood, etc.
What are the Complications of Liver Cirrhosis?
The complications can be spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, coagulation disorders, and many blood-related problems as well. To prevent cirrhosis, it is advised to drink coffee as it slows down the scarring in cirrhosis. It is also advised to discontinue smoking and consumption of alcohol. Consult the best liver cirrhosis doctor in Delhi, Dr. Piyush Ranjan.
Liver cirrhosis can cause serious complications. So it’s better to consult the best liver specialist in Delhi, to protect yourself from liver cirrhosis complications. Some of the difficulties may take years to develop, while some you can notice as initial liver cirrhosis symptoms. Problems due to liver cirrhosis are below:
Portal hypertension: It is the most common complication due to liver cirrhosis. It is characterized by increased pressure in the portal vein. The tension in the portal vein is the result due to blockage of blood flow through your liver. In turn, this may lead to partial blockage of veins in the esophagus, stomach, and intestines making the veins enlarged. Portal hypertension may cause severe internal bleeding, swelling in the spleen, legs, ankles, feet, build-up of fluids in the abdominal area, shortness of breath, and even kidney failure.
Complications like confusion, delirium, difficulty thinking, behavioural changes, and even coma can result from liver cirrhosis. It results in the accumulation of toxic materials in the intestine due to the liver’s inability and small intestine to flush the toxins out. These toxins circulate throughout the brain, causing hepatic encephalopathy.
Hypersplenism: The blood cells are produced in the spleen. Liver cirrhosis may hyperactivate the spleen resulting in quick and premature destruction of these blood cells.
Infections: Liver cirrhosis increases the individual’s risk of catching an infection. A person suffering from liver cirrhosis may experience conditions like bacterial peritonitis, where the tissue lining the abdominal wall is infected.
Malnutrition: The liver processes all the nutrients derived from the food. In cases like liver cirrhosis, it becomes challenging to get all the nutrients, which leads to weight loss and general weakness.
Liver cancer: Research has shown people with liver cirrhosis to be at a higher risk of developing liver cancer.
Liver failure: Liver cirrhosis may also result in liver failure, where the liver stops functioning due to extreme damage.
Stages of Liver Cirrhosis
There are mainly four stages of Liver Cirrhosis and they are:
Stage 1: In the first stage the symptoms are rarely seen. There is a very little amount of damage. Mild fibrosis can be seen in this case and there are no scarring of walls visible at this stage of liver cirrhosis.
Stage 2: In this stage, the fibrosis starts to grow from mild to moderate. The scarring is slightly seen.
Stage 3: In the third stage the fibrosis starts to spread to various parts of the liver and the scarring spreads as well.
Stage 4: This is the last and final stage. It is in this stage where severe scarring is seen and this condition is what is known as cirrhosis.
How can I prevent cirrhosis of the liver?
Liver cirrhosis treatment involves many lifestyle and dietary modifications which needs to be followed along with the medical treatment. Some of the lifestyle modifications for liver cirrhosis treatment are:
- Cut down on alcohol: If you drink alcohol, regularly try to limit it. According to experts drinking more than two drinks a day may increase the risk of liver disease and its malfunctioning. Do not consume alcohol at all if you already have liver disease.
- Consume a healthy diet: Our body needs the right nutrients to maintain healthy functioning. Similarly, eating a well-balanced, low-fat diet can filter out the toxins from the liver and maintain normal function.
- Avoid eating raw seafood: consuming raw shellfish or clams can increase the risk of liver cirrhosis.
- Excessive salt intake is also unhealthy for the liver.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight: The bile fluid from the liver helps in fat sequestration. Excessive fat can damage your liver. So try keeping a healthy body weight if you are overweight.
- Remain physically active and exercise as it boosts blood circulation throughout the body.
- Quit smoking if you smoke.
Liver cirrhosis: Diagnosis, treatment, and recovery:
Diagnosis: The diagnosis of Liver Cirrhosis involves the following steps:
- A brief look into the Medical History
- A Physical Examination
- A series of Blood Tests
- Some Imaging Tests
- A Liver Biopsy
Try consulting a best liver specialist doctor in Delhi, in case you are located in Delhi. If your doctor suspects that you are suffering from liver cirrhosis, he may recommend you to undergo the following tests or scans as a diagnostic parameter for liver cirrhosis treatment.
- Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Elastography
- Body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP)
- Biopsy
- Liver function test
After the diagnostic tests reveal that you have been suffering from liver cirrhosis, your doctor may recommend various liver cirrhosis treatment options to help slow the liver tissue scarring and relieve the symptoms. Your gastro doctor may initially try to treat the underlying cause behind liver cirrhosis. Some of these treatment strategies include:
Treatment: The treatment of Liver Cirrhosis is done in a series of steps; it also depends upon the stage of the cirrhosis. We have come up with an all-around treatment analysis that a person has to go through.
Lifestyle modifications: These may include dietary changes like intake of foods rich in fiber, low sodium content, anti-oxidants, and a plant-based diet. It is important to avoid or at least minimize the use of salt and all forms of sodium. The maximum amount of sodium intake should be less than 2,000 mg in a day. Alcohol must be completely avoided as it may be very harmful to the person suffering from Liver Cirrhosis.
- Diuretics: It increases the production of urine which further helps in getting rid of any excess salt content and water as well.
- Ammonia Reducer: It helps to reduce the ammonia content in the body and helps in stabilizing the impact of ammonia.
- Beta Blocker: The pressure on eyes can be reduced with the help of beta blocker when taken in the form of eye drops. It also helps in slowing down the heart rate and the blood pressure of the patient.
- Antibiotics and Antiviral Drugs: They help in the stopping of the growth of bacteria by killing them, and also help in not letting the viruses replicate and multiply.
Medications:
- Rubber Band Ligation: It involves tying off the bleeding blood vessels and blocking the supply of blood. It is done with the help of a rubber band and it causes the blood vessel to dry up and eventually fall off.
- Therapeutic Endoscopy: This endoscopic method uses a thin tube-like instrument with a light and camera on its tip. It is used in order to get a view of the inside of the body and removal of any foreign object which may cause trouble.
- Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Unit: It involves the placement of a tube or stent inside the liver which helps by providing a backup of blood in the veins.
Surgery
While there is no cure for liver cirrhosis, and in severe cases, a liver transplant may help treat the damage caused due to liver cirrhosis. The surgical treatment involves the transplant of the liver in which a healthy donor can donate a part of their liver to the diseased person.
