According to WHO, the spread of liver cirrhosis in the modern world has reached a huge number: about forty cases per one hundred thousand people. Men aged from thirty-five to fifty years suffer more often. The lethal outcome is most often observed when the patient reaches the age of 45-50 years. In this article, you will learn about the causes of irreversible liver damage, the types of liver cirrhosis and treatment.
Functions of the liver in the human body
This is a pretty big organ. The mass of a he althy liver in a man with a height of 180 cm is about one and a half kilograms. It is located in the region of the right hypochondrium. It has two lobes: right and left. The liver has a cellular structure. Such a device determines the amazing ability of this body to self-heal. The number of cells is about half a million. They are separated from each other by thin membranes of connective tissue, through which the bile ducts and arteries pass. They play an important role inthe formation of cirrhosis.
The liver pumps a huge amount of blood. In one minute - an average of about a liter.
The human liver is, in fact, a "factory" for the life support of the body. With her diseases, all systems suffer.
The role of the liver in metabolism
Due to the function of the liver, the following processes are carried out in the human body:
- Synthesis of the three most important nutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates.
- The liver is one of the stages in the production of thyroid-stimulating and sex hormones in both men and women.
- Energy is synthesized from incoming glucose.
- Toxic and poisonous substances are neutralized (including the decomposition products of ethanol from the abuse of alcoholic beverages).
- Blood formed.
- Immune cells are born.
- Synthesizes bile and some essential enzymes to promote he althy digestion.
What processes occur with cirrhosis
Thickening, ossification and proliferation of connective tissue between the cells of the organ - this is the process of cirrhosis. These seals begin to strongly compress the blood vessels over time, causing disruption of normal blood circulation in the organ.
Over time, liver cells become bumpy, dense neoplasms, unable to perform all the tasks of a he althy liver. In fact, there is a rebirth and death of the organ in parts. Later, in the later stages, they beginso-called false lobules are formed, which inexperienced specialists can confuse with hemangiomas and other neoplasms on ultrasound.
Prognosis for cirrhotic disease
If cirrhosis has appeared, it is only possible to stop its development. It is impossible to completely cure it. In rare cases of so-called healing from cirrhosis, errors in diagnosis have been made. Types of liver cirrhosis and treatment are closely interrelated: without an accurate diagnosis, a successful outcome is unlikely.
Often, patients take the diagnosis lightly and continue to drink and lead a dangerous lifestyle. This will inevitably lead to death.
For what reasons does this disease appear
The causes of this serious deadly disease are well understood. Very often, patients themselves for many years provoke the appearance of this disease by malnutrition and a tendency to abuse alcohol. Types of liver cirrhosis and pathological anatomy of the organ will be discussed later.
- Chronic alcoholism is a provoking factor in 68% of cases in men and 76% in women. Cirrhotic changes in the liver, characteristic of the first stage, begin to form with daily use of 50 or more milliliters of alcohol after five years. It does not matter what the patient drinks - be it beer, expensive wines, fine cognacs. All of these drinks contain ethanol, which always leads to irreversible changes in the liver.
- Chronic viral hepatitis is also commonis a precursor of cirrhotic changes in the organ.
- The cause of cirrhosis in young people in some cases is the use of synthetic drugs.
- As a result of hepatitis A, so-called autoimmune hepatitis often occurs. It is caused by a violation of the recognition of foreign agents and the destruction of one's liver cells. An acute autoimmune process becomes chronic and causes small nodular cirrhosis.
- Problems with the functioning of the gallbladder can also lead to cirrhosis. Here the main role is played by the patient's diet (table number 5). Violations of bile secretion in 7% of cases are the cause of cirrhosis.
- It happens that the cause of the development of the disease becomes treatment with chemotherapy and other highly toxic drugs. The liver cannot cope with the load, and the connective tissue begins to regenerate.
- Hereditary disorders, metabolic pathologies, problems with the absorption of iron, sodium, chlorine, enzyme deficiency, glycogen formation, cystic fibrosis.
- Transferred echinococcosis, brucellosis, toxoplasmosis, even after treatment, can lead to degeneration of liver tissue.
First symptoms and manifestations of cirrhosis
Immediately it is worth alerting people who are immoderate in the use of alcoholic beverages. They fall into a special risk group for developing cirrhosis. This category of patients should pay special attention to the symptoms, and treatment, and nutrition for cirrhosis of the liver.
You should be alert for the following ailments:
- drawing pain in the right side, which obviously increases after eating fatty and heavy food, drinking alcoholic beverages, strong physical exertion;
- rapid weight loss with a regular diet;
- pale stools and undigested pieces of food;
- common gastrointestinal problems: constipation, bloating;
- constant thirst that is difficult to quench even with plenty of clean water;
- bitter taste in mouth in the morning;
- in the late stages of cirrhosis - yellowing of the skin and sclera.
Types of liver cirrhosis: a brief description
There are eight kinds of disease. Consider the types of cirrhosis of the liver and the symptoms characteristic of each of them:
- Primary biliary cirrhosis - bile ducts located in the interlobular space are destroyed. It can hide under the guise of chronic cholestatic hepatitis. Inexperienced gastroenterologists often confuse these two diagnoses, making misdiagnosis.
- Biliary cirrhosis is an inflammatory disease of the internal bile ducts. In almost all cases, there is a serious stagnation of bile, stone formation. The main symptoms are an enlarged liver, frequent pain in the right hypochondrium, a bitter taste in the morning in the mouth.
- Alcoholic cirrhosis occurs due to the abuse of ethanol-containing drinks. Scar tissue comes to replace he althy liver tissuefibrous. Such a degeneration of the organ slowly but surely leads the patient to death.
- Viral cirrhosis is a consequence of experienced hepatitis. It does not occur in all patients. Subject to diet and therapy, a favorable outcome for the patient is possible. It is characterized by disturbances in the process of digestion of food and pain in the right hypochondrium.
- Portal cirrhosis is the most common after alcohol. Poor nutrition, strict diets and hunger strikes, anorexia and bulimia for many years are the cause of the development of this disease. On ultrasound, characteristic signs are observed in the form of nodes of a small, but the same size.
- Toxic cirrhosis occurs after the forced or voluntary abuse of narcotic substances or heavy medications. It often develops in weightlifters due to the use of oral anabolic steroids.
- Micronodular cirrhosis of the liver is a consequence of the effects of alcohol on the liver. Otherwise, this variety is called Laenakovsky cirrhosis. The main symptoms are nausea, light stools, indigestion.
- Decompensated - liver cells are not yet considered destroyed, but they have already lost their functional potential. Symptoms - pain in the right side, weight loss, loss of strength, hyperthermia, manifestations of jaundice, digestive disorders.
Four stages of liver cirrhosis
According to the clinical course, four stages of the development of the disease can be distinguished:
- initial stagecompensation - altered biochemical parameters in blood tests (bilirubin, AST and ALT);
- subcompensated stage - constant weakness and asthenia in the patient, digestive disorders, heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium are added to changes in biochemistry;
- decompensation stage - "in all its glory" the whole clinical picture of cirrhotic disease unfolds;
- decompensated cirrhosis is an advanced stage, which one way or another soon leads to death.
All types of cirrhosis of the liver, regardless of causes and symptoms, always go through these four stages. The sooner the disease is diagnosed and therapy is started, the more chances the patient has for a favorable outcome and remission.
The most common complications of liver cirrhosis
With an increase in blood pressure, a violation of the diet, strong physical exertion, the thinned walls of the veins of the esophagus and intestines can burst. Such bleeding is life threatening and is accompanied by vomiting, loss of consciousness, dizziness and pallor. With a serious area of burst veins, only surgeons can help: death from blood loss is possible.
Hepatic coma develops if the liver tissue has almost completely degenerated. Yellowness of the skin and sclera, asthenia and drowsiness, delusions and hallucinations - these symptoms require urgent medical attention. If a patient is left sick at home, death is possible.
Types of ascites in liver cirrhosis
Accumulation of fluid in the abdomenoccurs when the liver loses its functions. This phenomenon is called ascites in medicine and has several stages:
- The presence of liquid in the amount of one or two liters. At this stage, doctors recommend laparoscopy: the chance of a favorable outcome is quite high.
- The second stage of ascites - the volume of fluid is more than 3 liters, a sharp increase in the size of the abdomen. Urgent hospitalization required.
- Launched ascites - accumulation of fluid up to fifteen liters. The patient experiences a lack of air, begins to suffocate, as the curved diaphragm presses on the lungs. The outcome for the patient is extremely unfavorable.
The role of nutrition in liver he alth
If the patient is lucky and the doctors were able to diagnose cirrhosis at an early stage, we must act. Once and for all, you need to change your diet, give up alcohol. This will help to enter the stage of remission and prolong the life of the patient for many decades. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver, treatment and diet are very closely related. Modern drugs "Geptral", "Karsil", "Hofitol" and many others are able to support the function of the organ, but without a he althy diet, all efforts and taking pills will be in vain. Any type of cirrhosis of the liver requires a diet and the complete exclusion of alcohol and drugs.
Rejection of fatty meat (pork, lamb), carbonated and alcoholic drinks, fried foods and fast food is a necessary step for any pathology of the liver or gallbladder. If you do not change your approach to nutrition and continue to lead the same waylife, the prognosis will remain extremely unfavorable.
