S Related Menu
|
| | Title: | What is Cirrhosis of the Liver? | | Article: | Liver neutralizes and removes poisons from your blood.
It also makes immunological substances to fight
infections, makes proteins for blood clotting and bile
for uptake of fats and vitamins in your gut.
Cirrhosis of the liver means scarring that replaces
healthy tissue. Cirrhosis often leads to death.
Cirrhosis also requires a lot of medical resources for
treatment.
Main causes of cirrhosis are chronic alcoholism and
hepatitis C. Hepatitis B was remarkable before, but
decreased at present time because of widespread
vaccinations in western countries. It is still
significant in other countries.
Alcoholism, in fact, is only one of the causes.
Alcoholic cirrhosis comes after several years of heavy
drinking. Women are more vulnerable then men. Alcohol
blocks the normal processing of proteins and fats.
Chronic hepatitis C leads to inflammation and damage
of liver. It is not very extensive, but chronic
inflammation during many years leads to cirrhosis.
Chronic hepatitis B is the most common cause of
cirrhosis worldwide. Untreated hepatitis B also causes
chronic inflammation that leads to cirrhosis after
several years. Hepatitis D is caused by a special
defective virus that infects the liver only in
patients with hepatitis B.
Autoimmune hepatitis is caused by the immune attack
against own body.
Inherited diseases, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin
deficiency, galactosemia, and glycogen storage
diseases also damage liver. Such inherited disease as
hemochromatosis cause liver damage by overload with
iron. Wilson's disease causes liver damage by overload
with copper.
Adverse reaction to drugs, environmental poisons, and
special worm infection schistosomiasis may lead to
cirrhosis.
If bile ducts are blocked in babies inherently or in
adults during primary biliary cirrhosis, the outcome
is scarring and cirrhosis. Secondary biliary cirrhosis
happens after surgery if the ducts were injured.
Nonalcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) is associated
with diabetes, protein misbalance, obesity, and
coronary artery disease. Eventually, it may lead to
cirrhosis too.
Advanced heart disease with heart failure cause liver
congestion and may cause cirrhosis
What are Cirrhosis Symptoms?
Peoples with cirrhosis experience:
*Fatigue
*Decreased appetite
*Yellowing of the skin and eyes - Jaundice
*Nausea
*Weight loss
*Belly pain
*Edema (swelling)
*Ascites (fluid in abdominal cavity)
*Small spidery blood vessels on the skin
*Easy bruising
*Bleeding
*Reddening of hands
*Itching (from accumulated in the skintoxins)
*Gallstones
*Brain damage by non-removed toxins – Encephalopathy
*Personality changes.
The late stages lead to coma, and death.
Also patient with cirrhosis do not tolerate other
medications well. Normal liver removes drugs from the
blood. Damaged liver causes build up of the drugs in
the body.
Cirrhosis slows the normal flow of blood through the
portal vein, and increases the. This leads to varices
(enlarged blood vessels), which burst and cause
signifcant bleeding in esophagus.
Cirrhosis also causes resistance to insulin and type 2
diabetes.
Eventually cirrhosis leads to liver cancer -
hepatocellular carcinoma.
Cirrhosis can also cause impotence, damage of kidneys
and weak bones.
Check More Information at:
American Liver Foundation
www.liverfoundation.org
Symptoms check on-line
www.rdoctor.com
Hepatitis Foundation International
www.hepfi.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
United Network for Organ Sharing
www.unos.org | | Author: | Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD | | System: | Liver | | Subject: | Cirrhosis | | Abstract: | Main causes of cirrhosis are chronic alcoholism and
hepatitis C. | | Website: | www.kavokin.com | | Time: | 18:03 | | Reference: | | | Reference 2: | |
|
|
Pain? Discomfort? Sickness? Some vague symptoms?
Afraid that you have Cancer, Diabetes or Heart Disease?
Need a second opinion or online diagnosis?
Confused with your current medical condition?
The Diagnostic Tool is designed to help individuals to learn about themselves, and to help health
professionals give good health care.
Understand the cause of your symptoms.
Educate yourself. Understanding your symptoms helps to obtain the right diagnosis. Right diagnosis
allows prompt and correct treatment.
Go to:
Some potentially dangerous diseases may look falsely innocent. If in any doubt, please contact your
physician.
©2006 Kavokin.com
...
powered in 0.01s by baseportal.com
Get your own Web Database - for FREE!
|
|
Home
New users
FAQ
Articles
About Us
Testimonials
Tell-A-Friend!
Discount Pharmacies
Articles by Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD
Doctor-Robot (Free section)