What is Liver Cirrhosis?
Liver cirrhosis is a condition where the liver does not function properly due to long-term damage. When the liver is damaged, it cannot properly remove toxins from the blood and perform its other essential functions. If the damage progresses over many years, scar tissue starts building up in the liver, which makes it difficult for blood to flow through it and ultimately leads to liver failure.
Causes of Liver Cirrhosis
Excessive alcohol consumption: Heavy drinking of alcohol over many years is the most common cause of cirrhosis in developed countries. Regularly drinking more than 3 drinks per day puts one at risk for liver damage.
Chronic viral hepatitis: Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C infections that have lasted more than 6 months can cause chronic inflammation in the liver and lead to cirrhosis overtime if not treated. Worldwide, hepatitis B and C are the most common cause.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Conditions like obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol put one at increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Over time, NAFLD can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which can further advance to cirrhosis if not addressed.
Genetic disorders: Rare inherited conditions like hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease that affect how the liver processes and stores iron or copper respectively can damage the liver and cause cirrhosis if not managed.
Toxins: Poisoning from substances like arsenic, aflatoxins (fungal toxins) or prolonged use of certain prescription medications can be hazardous to the liver in excessive amounts over the years.
Symptoms of Liver Cirrhosis
In the early stages, there may be no obvious symptoms. However, as the condition advances, one may experience:
Fatigue and weakness: The liver plays a key role in energy production, and its declining function leads to fatigue.
Loss of appetite and nausea: As scar tissue builds in the liver, it cannot filter toxins properly from the blood causing these symptoms.
Weight loss: Without a properly functioning liver, your body cannot digest and absorb nutrients leading to unintended weight loss.
Swelling in the legs, ankles or abdomen: Fluid accumulation in the body occurs as the liver’s blood filtering ability worsens.
Itchy skin: The liver helps remove bile salts from the blood. When the liver slows down, bile salts accumulate leading to itch.
Jaundice: The yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes occurs when bile builds up in the bloodstream rather than being filtered out by the damaged liver.
Enlarged spleen/ascites: These symptoms suggest advanced cirrhosis with portal hypertension, or high blood pressure in the main vein that brings blood to the liver.
Bleeding disorders: The liver produces clotting factors, so cirrhosis can lead to easy bruising and bleeding from blood vessels. Internal bleeding in the digestive tract can also occur.
Hepatic encephalopathy: The buildup of toxins in the bloodstream that are normally removed by the liver can affect brain function causing confusion or disorientation.
Diagnosis and Treatment
If symptoms or blood test abnormalities are noticed, further tests are required to confirm cirrhosis and its severity. Your doctor may:
– Perform a liver biopsy: A small liver sample is examined under a microscope.
– Conduct imaging tests like ultrasound or CT scan: These visualize the liver’s structure and any structural changes.
– Check liver function blood tests: Levels of liver enzymes, albumin, bilirubin etc give clues about injury and impairment.
– Test for hepatitis viruses
If caught at an early stage before extensive scarring, lifestyle modifications and treatments targeting the underlying cause can help prevent progression. For advanced cirrhosis, medication and procedures help manage complications. Liver transplant may be considered for eligible patients.
Complications of Liver Cirrhosis
Some potential complications that can develop and worsen the condition or prognosis include:
Portal hypertension and esophageal/gastric varices: Enlarged blood vessels develop in the esophagus/stomach as the liver struggles to handle blood flow, with risk of rupturing and internal bleeding.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: A type of infection develops in the fluid around the liver due to impaired immune function in late cirrhosis.
Hepatorenal syndrome: The kidneys start to malfunction because of changes in circulation linked to portal hypertension.
Hepatopulmonary syndrome: Accumulation of vasodilators in the blood allows bubbles to get into lungs, causing breathing issues.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: Liver cancer can arise in the damaged, scarred liver tissue over time.
While outcomes depend on the cause and severity, advanced Liver Cirrhosis without management of the underlying trigger or transplant will eventually lead to liver failure and potentially death. As such, early detection and lifestyle intervention is critical to prevent this “silent killer” from progressing. Close monitoring by a physician is important as well to manage any complications if cirrhosis has already taken hold. With a multidisciplinary team approach targeting reversible causes, many people are able to stabilize their condition or have their life expectancy extended through treatment.
*Note:
- Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
- We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
