Cirrhosis is a condition that progressively destroys healthy liver tissue and replaces it with scar tissue, which ultimately impairs the liver’s ability to function. Scar tissue slows down the liver’s ability to handle normally occurring medications, hormones, nutrients and toxins. It also blocks blood flow through the liver. Additionally, it slows the liver’s ability to make proteins and other compounds.
Symptoms of cirrhosis
Signs and symptoms of cirrhosis may come on gradually or not at all. When symptoms do materialize, they may include:
Uncertainty or difficulty thinking
Male symptoms include gynecomastia, impotence, and loss of desire for sex
lack of appetite
Nausea and diarrhea
Bleeding gums or runny nose
Clay-colored or light-colored stools
Tiny scarlet blood vessels on the skin that look like spiders
Swelling or fluid buildup in the legs and abdomen
blood in the stool or in vomit
weakness
Weight loss
A yellow color to the skin, mucous membranes or eyes.
Causes of cirrhosis
These are the causes of cirrhosis that must be detected quickly
Long-term infection with hepatitis C
Persistent alcoholism
Autoimmune hepatitis
Disorders of the liver’s drainage system (biliary system), such as primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis
(long-term infection) Hepatitis B
pharmaceutical
Disorders of iron and copper metabolism (hemochromatosis and Wilson’s disease)
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Liver cirrhosis treatment
Lifestyle changes that are beneficial for all patients with cirrhosis include the following
Stop drinking
Follow a low-salt diet
Eat a healthy diet
Get vaccinated against influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and pneumococcal pneumonia (if advised by your doctor)
Tell your doctor about all prescription and over-the-counter herbal products you are taking or plan to use.
Additional cirrhosis treatment options are available for its complications
Upper endoscopy with ligation and sclerotherapy of bleeding varicose veins
Ascites, or excess abdominal fluid, can be treated with diuretics, salt and fluid restrictions, and fluid removal (paracentesis).
Coagulant: Vitamin K or blood products
Antibiotics and lactulose medication to treat encephalopathy or confusion
Antibiotics for infection
For bleeding varices or ascites, a technique known as an intrahepatic portal shunt (TIPS) may be needed.
Patients with advanced cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease may be eligible for liver transplantation
Acute liver failure
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis c
Cirrhosis
Liver Cancer