Cirrhosis is a condition in which scar tissue takes the place of healthy liver tissue. When your liver is regularly harmed over time, scar tissue forms. Cirrhosis is caused primarily by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol over a long period of time, having viral hepatitis, or having a buildup of fat in your liver (fatty liver). Symptoms include a lack of appetite, weight loss, and a general feeling of weakness and exhaustion. Cirrhosis symptoms and concerns can occasionally be treated by doctors, but the damage to your liver is irreversible.
What are the cirrhosis complications?
Cirrhosis that is severe and has been present for a long period can result in a number of issues:
- Failure of the liver (the liver stops working properly)
- Portal hypertension
- Cancer of the liver
- Liver failure
- Excessive bleeding
- Brain dysfunction (in which your brain is unable to function properly)
- Failure of the kidneys
- Food digestion and absorption problems
Blood backs up in the veins leading to the liver due to portal hypertension. These veins can become enlarged and twisting. Veins in the esophagus’s lower end, in the stomach, and in the rectum may be impacted. Because twisted, enlarged veins are delicate and prone to bleeding, you should:
- Vomit large amounts of blood
- Large a lot of blood from your rectum
You may have a low blood count if you bleed slowly and over an extended period of time (anemia). Your blood pressure may drop dangerously low if you bleed quickly (shock). You might possibly perish.
Cancer of the liver is a possibility. Your doctor will perform an ultrasound every 6 months if you have cirrhosis to check for liver cancer.
Cirrhosis is caused by a number of factors.
- Consuming an excessive amount of alcohol for an extended period of time
- Hepatitis B or C that is chronic (long-term)
What are the indications and symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver?
- I’m exhausted and sick.
- I’m not hungry and I’m losing weight.
- Jaundice
- A rash with tiny spots or larger splotches that is reddish-purple in color.
- All over itchiness
- Muscles that are fading away
- Red palms
- Swollen belly
- Small, brilliant red spots on your skin with spider leg-like thin blood veins around them (spider angiomas)
- Salivary glands that are swollen are the glands that produce saliva (spit)
- Breasts that are swollen, testes that have decreased, and less hair under the arms (in men)
What is the best treatment for liver cirrhosis?
Your doctor will suspect you of having cirrhosis if you drink excessively or have hepatitis and exhibit some of the symptoms listed above. The following tests are used by doctors to assess if you have cirrhosis:
- Test your liver using blood tests to see how well it’s working (there is no blood test that can determine if you have cirrhosis or not).
- On occasion, have your liver scanned using an ultrasound or a CT scan.
- If the other tests don’t reveal anything, a liver biopsy (in which a small piece of the liver is removed and studied under a microscope) may be performed.
Cirrhosis has no known cure. The liver damage is irreversible. Your symptoms will be treated by doctors. You can also assist prevent cirrhosis from worsening by following these steps:
- If you’ve been drinking too much alcohol, you should stop.
- Take medication to treat chronic hepatitis C if you have it.
- Avoid drugs that cause the liver to become overworked (such as acetaminophen)
- Take foods that are beneficial to your health.
Doctors may perform the following procedures if you have portal hypertension and swollen, twisted veins in your esophagus (the tube that connects your throat to your stomach):
To lower the pressure in the hepatic veins, your doctor will prescribe beta-blockers. With a flexible scope, look down your neck and seal off the swollen veins by injecting them with a chemical or wrapping them in special rubber bands.If such measures fail, your doctor may insert a small plastic tube into the veins of your liver to reroute blood and lower your blood pressure. A TIPS procedure is what it’s called.
You may need a liver transplant if your liver is severely damaged and hardly functions (surgery to replace your bad liver with a healthy one). Because alcohol will also harm your new liver, doctors will only perform a transplant if you have abstained from drinking.