Cirrhosis: a chronic disease

Cirrhosis refers to a chronic liver disease in which normal liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar tissue. This scar tissue interferes with the flow of blood through the liver. It also handicaps all the functions of the liver. There are a number of conditions that can lead to cirrhosis like excessive intake of alcohol, chronic vial hepatitis (B, C, and D), primary biliary cirrhosis- an autoimmune disease in women, primary sclerosing cholangitis, hemochromatosis- abnormal accumulation of iron in the liver, wilson’s disease- abnormal accumulation of copper in the liver, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency - inherited absence of a specific enzyme in the liver, Glycogen storage diseases - inability to properly utilize sugars, autoimmune hepatitis - progressive inflammation of the liver, Prolonged exposure to environmental toxins, Some forms of heart disease (cardiac cirrhosis), Schistosomiasis (parasitic infection).

Cirrhosis always leads to the symptoms like Loss of appetite, Nausea and vomiting, Weight loss ,Enlargement of the liver, Jaundice - yellow discoloration of the whites of the eyes and skin occurs because bile pigment can no longer be removed by the liver, Itching - due to the retention of bile products in the skin, Ascites - abdominal swelling due to an accumulation of fluid caused by the obstruction of blood flow through the liver, Vomiting of blood - frequently occurs from swollen, ruptured varices (veins that burst) in the lower end of the esophagus due to the increased pressure in these vessels caused by scar tissue formation, Increased sensitivity to drugs - due to the inability of the liver to inactivate them.

Treatment

In alcoholic cirrhosis: Abstention from alcohol; an adequate, wholesome diet
In cirrhosis caused by primary biliary cirrhosis: ursodeoxycholic acid is recommended
In cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis: Medication to improve immune responses to viral infection is an approved approach
In certain types of cirrhosis caused by autoimmune hepatitis: Corticosteroids alone or with azathioprine may be an effective treatment
In cirrhotic patients with jaundice: Supplemental fat soluble vitamins may be helpful
Wilson’s disease: Removal of excess copper by drugs that deplete the body’s copper
Hemochromatosis: Removal of excess iron by phlebotomy (removal of one pint of blood per week)
Most types of cirrhosis: Liver transplantation with replacement of the diseases organ when advances liver failure occurs