BLOG 523 CIRRHOSIS
Scarring
of the liver is called cirrhosis and it can be caused by a few conditions. Whenever
the liver is injured, it tries to repair itself. This could be from alcohol or
an infection and to heal itself, the liver forms scar tissue. When conditions
get worse and worse, the liver makes more and more scar tissue. All this
scarring makes it difficult for the liver to perform its job. The damage can’t
be reversed, but it can be prevented from the onset.
Causes of
liver cirrhosis can be viral hepatitis (B, C, and D), hemochromatosis (buildup
of iron in the body), long-term alcohol abuse, autoimmune hepatitis, or non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease. Other causes can be from certain medications, Alagille
(genetic digestive disorder), cystic fibrosis, Wilson’s disease (cooper
accumulates in the liver), or certain infections (syphilis or brucellosis). Higher
risk factors include drinking too much alcohol ongoing, having a type of viral
hepatitis, and/or obesity due to the possibility of having fatty liver disease
and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Unfortunately,
symptoms don’t necessarily appear until the damage is severe. Possible side
effects can consist of itchy skin, weight loss, nausea, jaundice (yellowing of
the eyes and skin), spiderlike veins appearing on the skin, swelling in the
feet and ankles, confusion, absence/loss of periods for women, and for men it
can be loss of sex drive.
Depending
on the severity, life expectancy with liver cirrhosis is anywhere between 2 to
12 years. This is because the liver is the second largest organ in the body, so
it is vital for our health. There are two stages which are compensated
cirrhosis and decompensated cirrhosis. With compensated cirrhosis, the person
might not show symptoms for years. They may live 9 to 12 years with this
condition. Decompensated cirrhosis is more serious because of the complications
and symptoms. Life expectancy might be 2 years. Scoring for liver cirrhosis is
done by the Child-Turcotte-Pugh
(CTP) scale. It is based on symptoms and
then divided into classes: Class A (5-6 points), Class B (7 to 9 points), and Class
C (10 to 15 points). The higher the score, the less life expectancy. Medical
professionals then use the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) to estimate
life expectancy. It is a chart that combines measures of creatinine (kidney
damaging), INR, and bilirubin. INR and bilirubin measure living functioning.
Following
a healthy diet with exercise is always a preventative measure. Grapefruit,
berries, fatty fish, olive oil, nuts, and beet juice are all healthy liver
foods. Practicing safe sex, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and having regular
physical exams are all important actions to take for not only your overall
health, but to allow the liver to do what it needs to do for us. We need our
liver for detoxifying, getting rid of red blood cells, storing bile, regulating
blood levels, metabolizing proteins, and to make bile. Since cirrhosis is irreversible,
do what you can control for your health and give your body the environment it
needs to do that for you.