How Badly Does Cirrhosis Affect Quality Of Life?

How Badly Does Cirrhosis Affect Quality Of Life? : Every time your liver is injured, whether from illness, heavy drinking, or some other cause, it tries to repair itself due to which Scar tissues form in the process.

Cirrhosis happens due to negligence on the part of those with fatty liver. As it progresses, more and more scar tissue form, which makes liver function very difficult also known as decompensated cirrhosis. Advanced liver cirrhosis is fatal and mostly life-threatening.

Liver damage from cirrhosis is usually irreparable, but if cirrhosis is diagnosed early and the cause is treated, further damage caused due to negligence can be limited and rarely reversed.

Are there any specific Cirrhosis Symptoms that people experience?

Cirrhosis symptoms often have no signs until liver damage is extensive.

When signs and cirrhosis symptoms do occur, they may include:

Fatigue
Easy Bruising and lack of clotting
Lack of appetite
Giddiness and Vomiting
Edema
Unnatural Weight loss
Skin Irritation
Jaundice (Like) Symptoms
Ascites
For women, Menopause or PCOS
Men experience lack of sex drive, or testicular atrophy

If you encounter any of the cirrhosis symptoms mentioned, speak to your health professional immediately.

Can some of the Cirrhosis Treatment options available be elaborated upon?

The cirrhosis treatment depends on what has been the underlying cause of it. Cirrhosis Treatment cannot usually be cure the patient however there are ways to manage the symptoms and any complications ensuring that the patient’s condition stops getting worse.

The cirrhosis treatment includes various options. All these depend on its severity:

Certain lifestyle changes:
If you have cirrhosis, the best way is to make as many lifestyle changes as you can make to reduce your chances of further problems and complications which include avoiding consumption of alcohol and quitting smoking, following a strict regime for regular physical activity preferably exercise to reduce muscle loss and lose weight if your obese or even for that matter overweight. A good hygiene regime can drastically reduce the chances of infection. Needless to say ensure you are completely vaccinated and speak to a general practitioner if you’re taking any form of medicines.
Dietary changes :
It is very important to have a balanced diet to help you get all the nutrients your body needs. The damage to your liver means it’s unable to store glycogen, which is a type of fuel the body needs for energy. Therefore, now you may need extra calories and protein in your diet, which will deal with complications like muscle loss and weakness.
Medicine :
Certain medications may be prescribed for cirrhosis treatment which may also include medication for Hypertension and Blood Pressure, Skin irritation & Diuretic

Are there certain cirrhosis causes that are known?

Take a look at some of the cirrhosis causes that you should be aware of:

Excessive alcohol consumption
Hepatitis B, C and D
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease causing fat accumulation in the liver
Iron accumulation in the body (hemochromatosis)
Cystic fibrosis
Wilson disease
Biliary atresia
Deficiency of alpha1-antitrypsin
Hereditary diseases like galactosemia or glycogen storage disease
Alagille syndrome.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis causing Hardening and scarring of the biliary tract
Syphilis or brucellosis
Medicines, like methotrexate or isoniazid

These cirrhosis causes maybe inevitable in some cases but some can be avoided. For example, consumption of alcohol is one such cirrhosis causes that can be controlled by any individual.

What are the known Cirrhosis stages that is seen in patients?

Even though the causes and types of liver disease may differ, the advancement of the disease and the damage that occurs are similar. Cirrhosis stages can range from mild to severe depending on its progression.

Stage 1: Inflammation

It is one of the early stages of cirrhosis wherein the liver gets inflamed as the body’s natural response to injury. The Inflammation can also take place when there are more toxins in the blood than the liver can handle.

You are lucky if your diagnosed early as this is especially important because the liver is able to repair itself in the early stages of the disease thus causing less damage. However it’s highly unlikely that one can report this stage as the damage is minimal

Stage 2: Fibrosis

Untreated inflammation causes fibrosis which is scarring of the liver which hinders the ability of the liver also restricting blood flow through the organ.

The healthy liver cells which are replaced with scar tissue do not get repaired by themselves. However, if caught during this stage, fibrosis is difficult to treat but not impossible. This stage is still mild to moderate and many people still do not experience any symptoms.

Stage 3: Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is very severe and irreversible it takes several years, or even decades, between the second and third stages of liver disease.

This stage of the disease causes symptoms to become more evident which include pain and discomfort, fatigue, loss of appetite, fluid retention, jaundice and itching around the liver.

Stage 4: Liver failure

This is called hepatic failure – the final stage of the disease where the liver stops functioning completely, at this stage, the liver cannot be repaired on its own with any treatment, the next best option is a liver transplant is the only option for recovery. Cirrhosis stages vary depending on how quick a person adheres to the treatment and lifestyle changes. Following a good diet and exercising is key to avoid the cirrhosis stages from advancing.

How is Cirrhosis diagnosis carried out?

People with early cirrhosis of the liver usually have no symptoms. Often, cirrhosis is first detected with a blood test or routine exam. In order to confirm a diagnosis, laboratory tests and imaging is performed.

What are the tests suggested for Cirrhosis Diagnosis?

The specialist may ask for one or more tests for further Cirrhosis Diagnosis like,

Lab tests. The Doctor may ask for several blood tests to check for signs of liver malfunction, like excess bilirubin or certain enzymes that may directly indicate liver damage. They would also evaluate your kidney functionality. Other than checking for creatinine in your blood, you will also have to undergo screening for viruses like the hepatitis. Your also tested for your blood’s ability to clot known as International normalized ratio (INR). Based on these test results, your doctor may be able to make a thorough Cirrhosis Diagnosis and it’s the underlying cause.
Imaging tests. MRE is a non-invasive advanced imaging test which it used to detect the hardening or stiffening of the liver. You may also be advised to do the other imaging tests like MRI, CT and ultrasound other than the Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for Cirrhosis Diagnosis
Biopsy. This is opted for in severe cases or just to gauge the severity, extent and cause of liver damage. A tissue sample is required to conduct a Biopsy and it’s not necessarily needed for Cirrhosis Diagnosis.

NASH24X7 is a digital platform to help bring about awareness about Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Non Alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Obesity, Liver Fat, Cirrhosis, Hypertension, Fat in liver and Diabetes, visit our website for more information.