Hepatic Cirrhosis

Hepatic cirrhosis

        Hepatic cirrhosis is the classical form of cirrhosis, the most common of all the variations. It might not be as dangerous as cryptogenic cirrhosis or as spectacular as primary biliary cirrhosis, but it still represents the third mortality cause in western countries. While that number might seem pretty high, you must keep in mind how cirrhosis works in all its forms.

       As a disease, hepatic cirrhosis is just as sneaky and damaging as its more unusual relatives: it turns the smooth, red and full of detoxified blood cells into petrified, scarred and completely useless versions of themselves. Once enough of your liver cells stop working, there is no turning back: at first, the patients' liver will start to malfunction and in the end, that person will go into liver failure.

       Maybe you are wondering what is so important about the functions of the liver, that you cannot live without it. Well, the liver is the biggest organ of the body, basically filtering every toxin and harmful substance that enters your body, tagging it appropriately and making sure it goes to be eliminated and not back into your blood stream. If that were not enough, it produces bile and plays an essential role in digestion: your liver takes the nutrients from the food you ingest and breaks them into smaller, easier to be processed pieces.

       There are some unmistakable signs of hepatic cirrhosis that you must keep an eye out for if you are a heavy drinker, have had other cirrhosis cases in the family or have had a blood transfusion lately:

• jaundice: the yellowing of some portions of your skin due to accumulation of toxins that are easily released through the epidermal layer;
• fatigue and general weakness: your body does not function normally, not being able to sort out the poisons from the useful substances and it launches them all into the bloodstream, destroying itself from within;
• weight loss and lack of muscle control: it is a natural consequence of the fatigue. Your system does not process whatever food you ingest and cannot provide room for more of it. If you do not eat, your muscle tone goes down and you start to lose control over your limbs;
• the presence of blood in your stool (turning the feces black and frazzled) and in your vomit: it is a sure sign that the linings of your stomach or the walls of the esophagus have been perforated;
• high temperature: it is normal for a cirrhosis patient to be riddled with infectious agents and to often suffer from fever attacks;
• swelling in your abdominal cavity and your joints: this is due to the accumulation of liquid that cannot be eliminated because of the lack of proper function of the liver.

       There is one characteristic that separates hepatic cirrhosis from the other forms: its cause is often virus - related. The hepatitis viruses B and C are known for causing a viral hepatitis that has a high probability of turning into cirrhosis. On the other hand, it does not mean that you can drink your weight in alcohol for half a century and expect to not suffer from cirrhosis rather sooner than later.

       Also, if some of your first degree relatives have had cirrhosis or liver problems in the past, you might want to schedule an appointment to your attending physician just to be on the safe side.

Hepatic cirrhosis treatment

       The goal of the treatment for this type of cirrhosis is identical to that of any kind of this liver disease: it tries and often succeeds to put a stop to the further damage of the liver cells. In no way can you think that the destruction already done can be reversed. It cannot and whoever tells you that is a liar or a charlatan. The liver cell does not have the capacity to regenerate, which makes it ever more precious.

       There are multiple treatment schemes when talking about hepatic cirrhosis, all leading to a healthier life style: a balanced diet, filled with fruits and vegetables, white meat and dairies. Drugs are used only as supplements to this change in life style and often only in the finale stages of the disease, when the only survival chance is a liver transplant. This is a risky move, though, because your body might just reject the transplanted liver.