Chronic liver damage arises from a variety of causes leading to scarring and liver failure....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Hepatitis and chronic alcohol abuse are frequent causes.
Liver damage caused by cirrhosis can’t be undone, but further damage can be limited.
Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism.
Each time your liver is injured whether by disease, excessive alcohol consumption or another cause – it tries to repair itself. In the process, scar tissues form.
As cirrhosis progresses, more and more scar tissues form, making it difficult for the liver to function (decompensated cirrhosis).
Advanced cirrhosis is life-threatening.
Symptoms
Cirrhosis often has no signs or symptoms until liver damage is extensive. When signs and symptoms do occur, they may include:
1. Fatigue
2. Easily bleeding or bruising
3. Loss of appetite
4. Nausea
5. Swelling in your legs, feet or ankles (edema)
6. Weight loss
7. Itchy skin
8. Yellow discoloration in the skin and eyes (jaundice)
9. Fluid accumulation in your abdomen (ascites)
10. Spiderlike blood vessels on your skin
11. Redness in the palms of the hands
12. For women, absent or loss of periods not related to menopause
13. For men, loss of sex drive, breast enlargement (gynecomastia) or testicular atrophy
14. Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
Keep in mind that you may not get all these symptoms, and some of these problems are also signs of other conditions.
Causes
Cirrhosis always develops because of another liver problem or disease. If you don’t treat the cause of your cirrhosis, it’ll get worse, and over time your healthy liver cells won’t be able to keep up. You might start to get tired, feel like you don’t want to eat, and lose weight without trying. After a while, your liver may not be able to work well or at all.
It’s important to know the cause of your cirrhosis so you can get the right treatment and keep it from getting worse.
The most common causes are:
1. Chronic alcohol abuse
2. Chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, C and D)
3. Fat accumulating in the liver (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)
4. Iron buildup in the body (hemochromatosis)
5. Cystic fibrosis
6. Copper accumulated in the liver (Wilson’s disease)
7. Poorly formed bile ducts (biliary atresia)
8. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
9. Inherited disorders of sugar metabolism (galactosemia or glycogen storage disease)
10. Genetic digestive disorder (Alagille syndrome)
11. Liver disease caused by your body’s immune system (autoimmune hepatitis)
12. Destruction of the bile ducts (primary biliary cirrhosis)
13. Hardening and scarring of the bile ducts (primary sclerosing cholangitis
14. Infection, such as syphilis or brucellosis
15. Medications, including methotrexate or isoniazid
Risk factors
1. Drinking too much alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cirrhosis.
2. Being overweight. Being obese increases your risk of conditions that may lead to cirrhosis, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
3. Having viral hepatitis. Not everyone with chronic hepatitis will develop cirrhosis, but it’s one of the world’s leading causes of liver disease.
Complications
Complications of cirrhosis can include:
1. High blood pressure in the veins that supply the Iliver (portal hypertension
2. Swelling in the legs and abdomen
3. Enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly)
4. Bleeding
5. Infections
6. Malnutrition
7. Buildup of toxins in the brain (hepatic encephalopathy
8. Jaundice
9. Bone disease
10. Increased risk of liver cancer
11. Acute-on-chronic cirrhosis
Prevention
Reduce your risk of cirrhosis by taking these steps to care for your liver:
Do not drink alcohol if you have cirrhosis. If you have liver disease, you should avoid alcohol.
Eat a healthy diet. Choose a plant-based diet that’s full of fruits and vegetables. Select whole grains and lean sources of protein. Reduce the amount of fatty and fried foods you eat.
3. Maintain a healthy weight. An excess amount of body fat can damage your liver. Talk to your doctor about a weigh-loss plan if you are obese or overweight.
4. Reduce your risk of hepatitis. Sharing needles and having unprotected sex can increase your risk of hepatitis B and C. Ask your doctor about hepatitis vaccinations.
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