Liver Cirrhosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Diagnosis

Liver is one of the most vital organs in the human body. It carries out functions like detoxification of harmful substances, cleaning the blood and the creation of nutrients. Such functions can be disturbed if the liver is diseased. Cirrhosis is a slowly developing condition that eventually limits the liver in performing its functions and leads to long-term damage to the organ. Following are some important points that one must know regarding this condition which will help in obtaining proper diagnosis and treatment from the best liver hospital in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore:

Causes

Cirrhosis can be caused due to a number of reasons, some of them are:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Iron buildup in the body (hemochromatosis)
• Chronic alcohol abuse
• Genetic digestive disorder (Alagille syndrome)
• Chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C)
• Fat accumulation in the liver (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)
• Infections, like schistosomiasis or syphilis
• Copper accumulation in the liver (Wilson's disease)

Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms that an individual may observe if suffering from Cirrhosis are:

• Bleeding or bruising easily
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Itchiness
• Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
• Fluid accumulation in your abdomen (ascites)
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Loss of appetite

Different Stages of Cirrhosis

As mentioned earlier, cirrhosis is a slow-developing disease. It involves 4 different stages. Let us know more about it:

Stage 1: The initial stage of cirrhosis involves some scarring of the liver and only some symptoms can be observed at this stage.

Stage 2: The second stage of cirrhosis involves worsening portal hypertension. Also, the development of varices begins at this stage.

Stage 3: Progressing to the third stage, swelling in the abdomen may begin. Also, the liver scarring may increase. The third stage of cirrhosis is labelled as decompensated cirrhosis. This is because complications of the conditions are increased at this stage which may even cause liver failure.

Stage 4: If left untreated, third stage cirrhosis can become life-threatening. This can develop in the ‘end-stage liver disease’ (ESLD). Usually, a liver transplant is the only treatment option left at this stage.

Diagnosis

The different types of diagnosis for Liver Cirrhosis include:

• A physical examination of the liver in which the doctor examines the shape and size of the liver
• Blood tests
• Biopsy and surgery
• Endoscopy

After a thorough diagnosis of the condition, the doctor may prescribe certain anti-viral medication that targets the abnormal cells present in the liver and also strengthens the immune system. But, as mentioned earlier, if the condition has escalated to a level that cannot be treated even with the help of medications, the doctor may suggest the patient to undergo a liver transplant surgery. Liver transplantation is a procedure that demands high proficiency and expertise. Hence, it is suggested that one should pick only the best liver transplant hospital in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. Also, check for other facilities that the hospital provides, such as treatment and care of benign tumors of the liver like cyst, adenoma, and hemangioma.

We hope that this information will help you gain more knowledge about liver cirrhosis, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.