Cirrhosis of the Liver
The liver, the largest organ in the body, is essential in
keeping the body functioning properly. It removes or neutralizes poisons from
the blood, produces immune agents to control infection, and removes germs and
bacteria from the blood. It makes proteins that regulate blood clotting and
produces bile to help absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. You cannot live
without a functioning liver.
In cirrhosis of the liver, scar tissue replaces normal, healthy
tissue, blocking the flow of blood through the organ and preventing it from
working as it should. Cirrhosis is the twelfth leading cause of death by
disease, killing about 26,000 people each year. Also, the cost of cirrhosis in
terms of human suffering, hospital costs, and lost productivity is high.
Causes
Cirrhosis has many causes. In the United States, chronic
alcoholism and hepatitis C are the most common ones.
¬ Alcoholic liver disease. To many people,
cirrhosis of the liver is synonymous with chronic alcoholism, but in fact,
alcoholism is only one of the causes. Alcoholic cirrhosis usually develops
after more than a decade of heavy drinking. The amount of alcohol that can
injure the liver varies greatly from person to person. In women, as few as two
to three drinks per day have been linked with cirrhosis and in men, as few as
three to four drinks per day. Alcohol seems to injure the liver by blocking the
normal metabolism of protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
¬ Chronic hepatitis C. The hepatitis C virus
ranks with alcohol as a major cause of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis in
the United States. Infection with this virus causes inflammation of and low
grade damage to the liver that over several decades can lead to cirrhosis.
¬ Chronic hepatitis B and D. The hepatitis B virus
is probably the most common cause of cirrhosis worldwide, but it is less common
in the United States and the Western world. Hepatitis B, like hepatitis C,
causes liver inflammation and injury that over several decades can lead to
cirrhosis. Hepatitis D is another virus that infects the liver, but only in
people who already have hepatitis B.
¬ Autoimmune hepatitis. This disease appears to
be caused by the immune system attacking the liver and causing inflammation,
damage, and eventually scarring and cirrhosis.
¬ Inherited diseases. Alpha-1 antitrypsin
deficiency, hemochromatosis, Wilson disease, galactosemia, and glycogen storage
diseases are among the inherited diseases that interfere with the way the liver
produces, processes, and stores enzymes, proteins, metals, and other substances
the body needs to function properly.
¬ Non alcoholic
steatohepatitis (NASH). In NASH, fat builds up in the liver and eventually causes scar
tissue. This type of hepatitis appears to be associated with diabetes, protein
malnutrition, obesity, coronary artery disease, and treatment with
corticosteroid medications.
¬ Blocked bile ducts. When the ducts that
carry bile out of the liver are blocked, bile backs up and damages liver
tissue. In babies, blocked bile ducts are most commonly caused by biliary atresia,
a disease in which the bile ducts are absent or injured. In adults, the most
common cause is primary biliary cirrhosis, a disease in which the ducts become
inflamed, blocked, and scarred. Secondary biliary cirrhosis can happen after
gallbladder surgery if the ducts are inadvertently tied off or injured.
¬ Drugs, toxins, and
infections. Severe reactions to prescription drugs, prolonged exposure to
environmental toxins, the parasitic infection schistosomiasis, and repeated
bouts of heart failure with liver congestion can all lead to cirrhosis.
Symptoms
Many people with cirrhosis have no symptoms in the early stages
of the disease. However, as scar tissue replaces healthy cells, liver function
starts to fail and a person may experience the following symptoms:
- exhaustion
- fatigue
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- weakness
- weight loss
- abdominal pain
- spider-like blood vessels (spider
angiomas) that develop on the skin
As the disease progresses, complications may develop. In some
people, these may be the first signs of the disease.
Complications of Cirrhosis
Loss of liver function affects the body in many ways. Following
are the common problems, or complications, caused by cirrhosis.
v Oedema and ascites. When the liver loses
its ability to make the protein albumin, water accumulates in the legs (oedema)
and abdomen (ascites).
v Bruising and bleeding. When the liver slows or
stops production of the proteins needed for blood clotting, a person will
bruise or bleed easily. The palms of the hands may be reddish and blotchy with palmar
erythema.
v Jaundice. Jaundice is a yellowing
of the skin and eyes that occurs when the diseased liver does not absorb enough
bilirubin.
v Itching. Bile products deposited
in the skin may cause intense itching.
v Gallstones. If cirrhosis prevents
bile from reaching the gallbladder, gallstones may develop.
v Toxins in the blood or
brain. A damaged liver cannot remove toxins from the blood, causing
them to accumulate in the blood and eventually the brain. There, toxins can
dull mental functioning and cause personality changes, coma, and even death.
Signs of the build-up of toxins in the brain include neglect of personal
appearance, unresponsiveness, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, or changes
in sleep habits.
v Sensitivity to medication. Cirrhosis slows the liver's
ability to filter medications from the blood. Because the liver does not remove
drugs from the blood at the usual rate, they act longer than expected and build
up in the body. This causes a person to be more sensitive to medications and
their side effects.
v Portal hypertension. Normally, blood from
the intestines and spleen is carried to the liver through the portal vein. But
cirrhosis slows the normal flow of blood through the portal vein, which
increases the pressure inside it. This condition is called portal hypertension.
v Varices. When blood flow through
the portal vein slows, blood from the intestines and spleen backs up into blood
vessels in the stomach and oesophagus. These blood vessels may become enlarged
because they are not meant to carry this much blood. The enlarged blood
vessels, called varices, have thin walls and carry high pressure, and thus are
more likely to burst. If they do burst, the result is a serious bleeding
problem in the upper stomach or oesophagus that requires immediate medical
attention.
v Insulin resistance and
type 2 diabetes. Cirrhosis causes resistance to insulin. This hormone, produced
by the pancreas, enables blood glucose to be used as energy by the cells of the
body. If you have insulin resistance, your muscle, fat, and liver cells do not
use insulin properly. The pancreas tries to keep up with the demand for insulin
by producing more. Eventually, the pancreas cannot keep up with the body's need
for insulin, and type 2 diabetes develops as excess glucose builds up in the
bloodstream.
v Liver cancer. Hepato cellular
carcinoma, a type of liver cancer commonly caused by cirrhosis, starts in the
liver tissue itself. It has a high mortality rate.
v Problems in other organs. Cirrhosis can cause
immune system dysfunction, leading to infection. Fluid in the abdomen (ascites)
may become infected with bacteria normally present in the intestines. Cirrhosis
can also lead to impotence, kidney dysfunction and failure, and osteoporosis.
Diagnosis
The doctor may diagnose cirrhosis on the basis of symptoms,
laboratory tests, the medical history, and a physical examination. For example,
during a physical examination, the doctor may notice that the liver feels
harder or larger than usual and order blood tests that can show whether liver
disease is present.
If looking at the liver is necessary to check for signs of
disease, the doctor might order a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan,
ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or a scan of the liver using a
radioisotope (a harmless radioactive substance that highlights the liver). Or
the doctor might look at the liver using a laparoscope, an instrument that is
inserted through the abdomen and relays pictures back to a computer screen.
A liver biopsy will confirm the diagnosis. For a biopsy, the
doctor uses a needle to take a tiny sample of liver tissue, then examines it
under the microscope for scarring or other signs of disease.
Treatment
Liver damage from cirrhosis cannot be reversed, but treatment
can stop or delay further progression and reduce complications. Treatment
depends on the cause of cirrhosis and any complications a person is
experiencing. For example, cirrhosis caused by alcohol abuse is treated by
abstaining from alcohol. Treatment for hepatitis-related cirrhosis involves medications
used to treat the different types of hepatitis, In all cases, regardless of the
cause, following a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol are essential because the
body needs all the nutrients it can get, and alcohol will only lead to more
liver damage. Light physical activity can help stop or delay cirrhosis as well.
Treatment will also include remedies for complications. For
example, for ascites and oedema, the doctor may recommend a low-sodium diet or
the use of diuretics, which are drugs that remove fluid from the body. Protein
causes toxins to form in the digestive tract, so eating less protein will help
decrease the build-up of toxins in the blood and brain. The doctor may also
prescribe laxatives to help absorb the toxins and remove them from the intestines.
For portal hypertension, the doctor may prescribe a blood
pressure medication.
When complications cannot be controlled or
when the liver becomes so damaged from scarring that it completely stops
functioning, a liver transplant is necessary. In liver transplantation surgery,
a diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one from an organ
donor. About 80 to 90 percent of patients survive liver transplantation.
Survival rates have improved over the past several years because of drugs.
Homeopathy
medicines Treatment for Liver Problems
Symptomatic Homeopathy works well for Liver Problems,
So its good to consult a experienced Homeopathy physician without any
hesitation.
Whom to contact for Liver Problems Treatment
Dr.Senthil
Kumar Treats many cases of Liver Problems, In his medical professional experience
with successful results. Many patients get relief after taking treatment from
Dr.Senthil Kumar. Dr.Senthil Kumar visits Chennai at Vivekanantha
Homeopathy Clinic, Velachery, Chennai 42. To get appointment please call
9786901830, +91 94430 54168 or mail to consult.ur.dr@gmail.com,
For
more details & Consultation Feel free to contact us.
Vivekanantha Clinic Consultation Champers
at
Chennai:- 9786901830
Panruti:- 9443054168
Pondicherry:- 9865212055 (Camp)
For appointment please Call us or Mail Us
For appointment: SMS your Name -Age – Mobile Number - Problem in Single word -
date and day - Place of appointment (Eg: Rajini – 30 - 99xxxxxxx0 – Hepatitis,
Jaundice, HbsAg Positive, – 21st Oct,
Sunday - Chennai ), You will receive Appointment details through SMS
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