Is liver cirrhosis dangerous?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is advised by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Nhat - Infectious Diseases - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Liver cirrhosis is a dangerous disease, making liver function irreversible. In the early stages, the disease has no specific symptoms, but when it breaks out, it will seriously affect many organs and systems in the human body. Accordingly, liver transplantation is considered the only solution to treat cirrhosis.

1. What is liver cirrhosis?

Liver cirrhosis is the final stage when the liver's response to the damage lasts for many months. When the patient has chronic inflammation for a long time, the liver will gradually become fibrosis over time, causing the liver cells to become inflamed or damaged. If not detected and treated in time, the liver will gradually become cirrhosis, often called cirrhosis. The fibrous tissue becomes more "tangled", turning the connective tissue into large "scars" running horizontally, dividing the liver into small tumors. Over time will progress to liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis will have different consequences depending on the location of the fibrous and scar tissue.
Alcohol, hepatitis virus are common causes of liver cirrhosis. Alcohol causes liver cirrhosis: Alcohol is inherently toxic to the liver causing liver diseases such as: hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cirrhosis... The condition of liver cirrhosis will become more serious if the patient persists. continue to abuse alcohol. Hepatitis B and C viruses are the leading cause of chronic hepatitis or progression to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Drug abuse and environmental toxins are the causes of liver cirrhosis. Genetic diseases In addition, people who have had malaria can also have chronic hepatitis, causing cirrhosis and liver cirrhosis.
In the early stages of liver cirrhosis, patients often do not have obvious symptoms, even many patients continue to live a healthy life without any symptoms. It was only when the disease broke out that the condition became serious.
The symptoms appearing in the patient are very vague, sometimes fleeting, making the patient subjective such as:
Distressed, uncomfortable, not eager to do anything. Fatigue Anorexia Unintentional Weight Loss Jaundice

Hands and feet may lose sensation Tongue is burning. Abdominal pain in the right upper abdomen. Dark urine Black stools Vomiting black blood Dark gray face. Appearance of many tiny blood vessels like spider webs all over the body When the above symptoms appear, you need to immediately see a doctor for timely diagnosis and treatment. Because these signs can signal, the liver cirrhosis of the disease has become serious. The doctor may order the patient to do liver function tests.
See more: Liver cirrhosis and things to know

2. Is liver cirrhosis dangerous?

Liver cirrhosis is a dangerous disease, causing high mortality like liver cancer. Liver cirrhosis not only leaves heavy consequences for the liver but also damages many other organs in the body. Liver cirrhosis will have different consequences depending on the location of the fibrous and scar tissue. Specifically:
Digestive system: The most common chain consequences caused by cirrhosis of the liver to the digestive system are: intestinal bleeding leading to black stools, vomiting blood; ulcers of the stomach, small intestine and large intestine ... accompanied by common symptoms such as abdominal pain, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, ascites.

Nervous system: Liver cirrhosis can paralyze brain cells, causing patients to be in a state of depression, sadness, depression, insomnia, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate thoughts, irritability, and change in personality. love, sleep, confusion, then unconsciousness and death. Because, normally, the liver has the role of eliminating toxins and wastes, not letting them dissolve into the blood. But when the liver is calloused, the poison is not eliminated, but gradually dissolves into the blood. The blood becomes thin and slows to clot. The spleen is enlarged and fragile. Kidney: Liver cirrhosis causes consequences for the kidneys such as weak kidneys, kidney failure, even patients need dialysis. Endocrine: Liver cirrhosis causes thyroid dysfunction, pancreas, hypogonadism. Specifically: Patients with cirrhosis will also have thyroid dysfunction because the liver is damaged, so it cannot metabolize the hormones (hormones) of the thyroid gland. At the same time, steroids reduce gonads causing osteoporosis, infertility. In female patients, menstruation becomes irregular. Most patients with liver cirrhosis will be intolerant of sugar (glucose intolerance) which will lead to diabetes. Lungs: Liver cirrhosis causes consequences for the lungs such as: suffocation, shortness of breath, breath with a sweet smell like fruit, sometimes like the smell of fermented wine.

3. Treatment of liver cirrhosis

Currently, liver transplantation is the only treatment when the liver is already calloused. Accordingly, to treat cirrhosis, patients need to prevent the cirrhosis from causing damage from spreading to other organs, minimizing complications. By treatment depends on what is the cause of the cirrhosis?

In addition, a healthy diet and lifestyle play an important role in the treatment of liver cirrhosis. Patients should strictly adhere to the doctor's treatment, have a diet suitable for the disease, do not drink alcohol and keep an optimistic and comfortable spirit.

4. How to prevent liver cirrhosis?

Prevention is better than cure, so to prevent serious health consequences caused by cirrhosis, you need to implement the following methods:
Maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise appropriately When If one or more symptoms of liver cirrhosis appear, it is necessary to visit a liver disease hospital quickly to determine the cause of the disease, from which the doctor will have an appropriate treatment method. Have a scientific diet, full balance of nutrients, limit foods that are harmful to the liver. Stay away from stimulants, tobacco and alcohol Maintain regular exercise to control weight and improve resistance of health. Patients with a history of hepatitis B, hepatitis C should be tested for liver function, hepatitis B virus quantification, periodic liver ultrasound, to determine the cause of chronic or benign hepatitis B and treatment. finish

Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has Hepatobiliary Screening packages, which help detect Hepatitis Virus at an early stage even when there are no symptoms. In addition, the comprehensive hepatobiliary screening package helps customers:
Evaluate the liver's ability to work through liver enzyme tests; Evaluation of bile function; vascular nutrition; Early screening for liver cancer; Perform tests such as Total blood cell analysis, blood clotting ability, screening for hepatitis B, C Assessment of liver and biliary status through ultrasound images and diseases that are at risk of affecting liver disease / liver disease. more severe liver disease In-depth analysis of parameters to evaluate hepatobiliary function through laboratory and subclinical tests; the risk of affecting the liver and early screening for hepatobiliary cancer.

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