Liver Cirrhosis
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In Cirrhosis of the liver, scar tissue replaces normal, healthy tissue, blocking the flow of blood through the organ and preventing it from functioning normally. It results from various diseases, conditions and lifestyles. Cirrhosis of the liver is a chronic, diffuse (widely spread throughout the organ), degenerative liver disease in which the parenchyma (the functional organ tissue) degenerates. Laennec named the disease in 1826, using the Greek word for orange color because cirrhotic livers turn a yellowish to tan color.
Although Cirrhosis is normally associated with alcohol abuse, the term Cirrhosis refers to the replacement of liver cells by non-functioning, fibrous tissues and shrinking of the liver, all of which occur when liver cells cease functioning.
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| Symptoms |
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The condition is asymptomatic in the early stages. However, as scar tissue replaces healthy cells, liver function starts to fail and a person may experience the following symptoms:
- Exhaustion, fatigue and loss of appetite
- Nausea or indigestion and vomiting
- Constipation or diarrhea, light-colored stools
- Flatulence
- Anorexia
- Ascites (the accumulation of serous fluids in the peritoneal cavity)
- Weight loss, weakness or chronic dyspepsia
- Dull abdominal aching
- Varicosities
- Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, other internal and external bleeding
- Easy bruising , bleeding and in some cases vomiting of blood
- Extreme dryness of skin, and spider angiomas
- Psychotic mental changes such as extreme paranoia can occur in cases of advanced Cirrhosis
- Testicular atrophy, gynecomastia (enlargement of the male breast), and loss of chest and armpit hair
- A liver with Cirrhosis is usually much larger than a healthy liver
COMPLICATIONS:
As the disease progresses, complications may develop. In some people, these may be the first signs of the disease.
Bruising and bleeding – When the liver slows or stops production of the proteins needed for blood clotting, a person will bruise or bleed easily.
Jaundice –In the later stages of Cirrhosis, jaundice (yellow skin) may occur, caused by the buildup of bile pigment that is passed by the liver into the intestines.
Itching – Bile products deposited in the skin may cause intense itching.
Gallstones – If Cirrhosis prevents bile from reaching the gallbladder, a person may develop gallstones.
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 buildup of toxins in the brain include neglect of personal appearance, unresponsiveness, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, or changes in sleep habits.
Sensitivity to medication –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.
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.
Varices – When blood flow through the portal vein slows, blood from the intestines and spleen backs up into blood vessels in the stomach and esophagus. 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, 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 esophagus that requires immediate medical attention. In extreme cases blood can actually flow backward from portal circulation to systemic circulation, leading to varicose veins in the stomach (gastric varices), esophagus (esophageal varices), and rectum (hemorrhoids). Ruptured varices bleed massively and are often fatal.
Edema and ascites – When the liver loses its ability to make the protein albumin, water accumulates in the leg (edema) and abdomen (ascites).
Osteomalacia and Osteporosis – Cirrhosis is often associated with osteomalacia and osteoporosis.
Problems in other organs – Cirrhosis can cause immune system dysfunction, leading to infection. Cirrhosis patients are at high risk for obesity, fatal bacterial infections, stomach ulcers, kidney dysfunction and failure, liver cancer and finally insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus.
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| Prevention |
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- Prevention methods may include the following:
- Avoiding or limiting the use of alcoholic beverages
- Take precautions when working with hazardous chemicals.
- Avoid common causes of hepatitis such as eating unsanitary food or food prepared by a person suffering from the condition
- Drink boiled water
- Persons who have to be around carriers should be vaccinated.
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| Causes |
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Cirrhosis has many causes.
- Alcoholic liver disease. alcohol (ethanol) abuse usually after more than a decade of heavy drinking. Alcohol is a factor in about three-fourths of the cases of Cirrhosis in the United States.
- Chronic hepatitis B, C and D
- Autoimmune Hepatitis
- Inherited diseases – Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, as cystic fibrosis, hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease, galactosemia, and glycogen storage diseases.
- Nonalcoholic 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 corticosteroid treatment.
- Blocked bile ducts. Resulting from diseases such as biliary atresia, primary biliary Cirrhosis or after surgery when bile ducts are accidentally closed off.
- Drugs, toxins, and infections – Severe reactions to prescription drugs, prolonged exposure to environmental toxins, the parasitic infection schistosomiasis, repeated bouts of heart failure with liver congestion, liver injury from an accident or from cystic fibrosis and poisons.
- Nutritional Deficiencies such as lack of proteins, vitamins, choline, trace elements, or methionine. Vitamin B1 (thiamin)
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| Diagnosis |
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The doctor may diagnose Cirrhosis on the basis of symptoms, laboratory tests, the patient’s medical history, and a physical examination.
- Physical exam
- Blood tests
- Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan
- X-ray
- Ultrasound
- Scan of the liver using a radioisotope (a harmless radioactive substance that highlights the liver).
- Biopsy
- Laparoscopy
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| Dietary Guidelines |
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- ·Avoiding or limiting the use of alcoholic beverages
- Take precautions when working with hazardous chemicals.
- Avoid common causes of hepatitis such as eating unsanitary food or food prepared by a person suffering from the condition
- Drink boiled water
- Avoid red meats and other acid forming foods such as caffeine, alcohol,, refined, starches, and dairy product during all healing phases. Reduce sugars, saturated fats and fried foods permanently.
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| Home Care Suggestions |
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- Avoid extreme exposure to the sun
- Drink a lot of water
- Water melons are quite beneficial
- Avoid getting dehydrated
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| Mind/Body Considerations |
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The liver is a very dependant on the amount of oxygen coming into the lungs. Exercise, air filters, time spent in the forest and at the ocean, and drinking pure water is important.
- Over heating by raising blood temperature is effective.
- Take several saunas if possible during a liver cleanse for faster, easier detoxification.
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