LIVER CIRRHOSIS

What is liver cirrhosis?

When alcohol or disease attacks and damages the liver, liver cells are killed and scar tissue is formed. This scarring process is called fibrosis and it happens slowly over many years. When the whole liver is scarred, it shrinks and hardens. This is called cirrhosis, and usually this damage cannot be undone.

What happens when you have cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis causes the liver to become lumpy and stiff. This prevents blood from flowing through the liver easily and causes the build-up of pressure in the portal vein, the vein that brings blood to the liver. High pressure in the portal vein is called portal hypertension. To relieve this pressure, the blood goes around the portal vein, through other veins. Some of these veins, called varices, can be found in the esophagus or in your stomach itself. Portal hypertension also causes blood to back up into another organ called the spleen. This causes the spleen to get bigger and destroy more platelets than usual. Platelets are blood cells that help in blood clotting. With cirrhosis, blood is blocked from entering the liver and toxic substances that the liver normally filters escapes into general blood circulation.

Aside from the problems with liver blood flow, when cirrhosis is advanced, there aren’t enough healthy liver cells to make all the stuff like proteins that the liver normally makes. Another complication is Liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This ancer can occur if some of the sick liver cells start to multiply out of control.

What are the symptoms of cirrhosis?

The early stage of cirrhosis is called compensated cirrhosis. At this stage you may have no symptoms at all. In fact, a person may live many years with cirrhosis without being aware that her liver is scarred. This is because the pressure in the portal vein is not yet too high and there are still enough healthy liver cells to keep up with the body’s needs. But if nothing is done about the cause of cirrhosis (for example, if the person continues to drink alcohol, or if hepatitis or other causes of cirrhosis are not treated), the pressure in the portal vein gets higher and the few remaining healthy liver cells are not able to do all the work for the entire liver.

At that point, you may notice symptoms like low energy, poor appetite, weight loss, or loss of muscle mass. As the disease progresses symptoms become more severe and may be life threatening. Advanced cirrhosis is called decompensated cirrhosis. At this stage you can also develop the following serious problems:

 bleeding varices - internal bleeding from large blood vessels in the esophagus

 ascites - a buildup of fluid in the belly,

 encephalopathy - confusion from the buildup of toxins in the blood

 Jaundice - yellowing of the eyes and skin

Sometimes, if the damaging agent (such as alcohol) is removed, the liver can slowly heal. Other times, the only way to cure cirrhosis is to replace the sick liver with a healthy liver – this is called liver transplantation.

LIVER CIRRHOSIS

What is liver cirrhosis?

When alcohol or disease attacks and damages the liver, liver cells are killed and scar tissue is formed. This scarring process is called fibrosis and it happens slowly over many years. When the whole liver is scarred, it shrinks and hardens. This is called cirrhosis, and usually this damage cannot be undone.

What happens when you have cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis causes the liver to become lumpy and stiff. This prevents blood from flowing through the liver easily and causes the build-up of pressure in the portal vein, the vein that brings blood to the liver. High pressure in the portal vein is called portal hypertension. To relieve this pressure, the blood goes around the portal vein, through other veins. Some of these veins, called varices, can be found in the esophagus or in your stomach itself. Portal hypertension also causes blood to back up into another organ called the spleen. This causes the spleen to get bigger and destroy more platelets than usual. Platelets are blood cells that help in blood clotting. With cirrhosis, blood is blocked from entering the liver and toxic substances that the liver normally filters escapes into general blood circulation.

Aside from the problems with liver blood flow, when cirrhosis is advanced, there aren’t enough healthy liver cells to make all the stuff like proteins that the liver normally makes. Another complication is Liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This ancer can occur if some of the sick liver cells start to multiply out of control.

What are the symptoms of cirrhosis?

The early stage of cirrhosis is called compensated cirrhosis. At this stage you may have no symptoms at all. In fact, a person may live many years with cirrhosis without being aware that her liver is scarred. This is because the pressure in the portal vein is not yet too high and there are still enough healthy liver cells to keep up with the body’s needs. But if nothing is done about the cause of cirrhosis (for example, if the person continues to drink alcohol, or if hepatitis or other causes of cirrhosis are not treated), the pressure in the portal vein gets higher and the few remaining healthy liver cells are not able to do all the work for the entire liver.

At that point, you may notice symptoms like low energy, poor appetite, weight loss, or loss of muscle mass. As the disease progresses symptoms become more severe and may be life threatening. Advanced cirrhosis is called decompensated cirrhosis. At this stage you can also develop the following serious problems:

 bleeding varices - internal bleeding from large blood vessels in the esophagus

 ascites - a buildup of fluid in the belly,

 encephalopathy - confusion from the buildup of toxins in the blood

 Jaundice - yellowing of the eyes and skin

Sometimes, if the damaging agent (such as alcohol) is removed, the liver can slowly heal. Other times, the only way to cure cirrhosis is to replace the sick liver with a healthy liver – this is called liver transplantation.

LIVER CIRRHOSIS

What is liver cirrhosis?

When alcohol or disease attacks and damages the liver, liver cells are killed and scar tissue is formed. This scarring process is called fibrosis and it happens slowly over many years. When the whole liver is scarred, it shrinks and hardens. This is called cirrhosis, and usually this damage cannot be undone.

What happens when you have cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis causes the liver to become lumpy and stiff. This prevents blood from flowing through the liver easily and causes the build-up of pressure in the portal vein, the vein that brings blood to the liver. High pressure in the portal vein is called portal hypertension. To relieve this pressure, the blood goes around the portal vein, through other veins. Some of these veins, called varices, can be found in the esophagus or in your stomach itself. Portal hypertension also causes blood to back up into another organ called the spleen. This causes the spleen to get bigger and destroy more platelets than usual. Platelets are blood cells that help in blood clotting. With cirrhosis, blood is blocked from entering the liver and toxic substances that the liver normally filters escapes into general blood circulation.

Aside from the problems with liver blood flow, when cirrhosis is advanced, there aren’t enough healthy liver cells to make all the stuff like proteins that the liver normally makes. Another complication is Liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This ancer can occur if some of the sick liver cells start to multiply out of control.

What are the symptoms of cirrhosis?

The early stage of cirrhosis is called compensated cirrhosis. At this stage you may have no symptoms at all. In fact, a person may live many years with cirrhosis without being aware that her liver is scarred. This is because the pressure in the portal vein is not yet too high and there are still enough healthy liver cells to keep up with the body’s needs. But if nothing is done about the cause of cirrhosis (for example, if the person continues to drink alcohol, or if hepatitis or other causes of cirrhosis are not treated), the pressure in the portal vein gets higher and the few remaining healthy liver cells are not able to do all the work for the entire liver.

At that point, you may notice symptoms like low energy, poor appetite, weight loss, or loss of muscle mass. As the disease progresses symptoms become more severe and may be life threatening. Advanced cirrhosis is called decompensated cirrhosis. At this stage you can also develop the following serious problems:

 bleeding varices - internal bleeding from large blood vessels in the esophagus

 ascites - a buildup of fluid in the belly,

 encephalopathy - confusion from the buildup of toxins in the blood

 Jaundice - yellowing of the eyes and skin

Sometimes, if the damaging agent (such as alcohol) is removed, the liver can slowly heal. Other times, the only way to cure cirrhosis is to replace the sick liver with a healthy liver – this is called liver transplantation.