Causes And Treatment Of Liver Fibrosis

Decompensated cirrhosis is characterized by the development of a cirrhosis-related complication, including variceal hemorrhage, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, and/or coagulopathies. For patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, the risk of death is 4.7 and 9.7 times higher than the general population, respectively.4 Survival in patients with decompensated cirrhosis is considerably lower than that of patients with compensated cirrhosis. The median survival times are as low as 2 years in decompensated patients and greater than 12 years in compensated

most efficient strategy for assessing fibrosis in patients with chronic HCV infection is to use a combination of

During chronic liver disease, hepatocyte cell death results in inflammation that leads to fibrosis. In addition, the loss of functional hepatocytes results in loss of liver functions, such as the ability to metabolize bilirubin and synthesize proteins (e.g., albumin and clotting factors). Under normal conditions, blood flows from splanchnic circulation to hepatic circulation (for removal of bacteria and toxins) via the portal vein, and blood is returned to systemic circulation via the hepatic vein. Because of liver fibrosis, the distortion of hepatic architecture increases resistance to blood flow, resulting in portal hypertension. The portal collaterals relieve some of the pressure in the portal system but may contribute to cirrhosis-related complications such as varices (Liou, 2014).

Hepatitis C is an infection of the liver caused by the virus called Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Hepatitis C can be acute and chronic, it is an asymptomatic disease, but a chronic infection can be life threatening and cause serious health complications in the future and eventually death. Many are unaware of this infection; the life threatening health risk involves liver damage, end- stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma and even death. It 's been estimated that in the United States 2.7 million people are infected with chronic HCV, whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 3.2 million (Ditah, 2010). The infected population are primarily in their fifties and sixties, born between 1945 and 1965. One attributable cause is believed to be the transmission of the contaminated blood through organ transplants and drug injections. It is expected that compensated cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) will increase by over 80 percent from the year 2000 to the year 2020. Over the same period, it is estimated that decompensated cirrhosis would increase over 100 percent and that liver-related deaths would increase by 181 percent (Davis GL, Albright JE, 2003).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nowadays in the United States, liver disease is a major health burden. In 2011, it was the 12th leading cause of death 1. Liver investigation techniques has been changed over the past years. Liver biopsy (LB) was the vital technique of liver examination for about 50 years 2,3. It is used for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring the therapeutic effects of liver disease 3. In addition, liver transplantation is a new indication for LB 4. LB, however, is an invasive procedure and new investigation tools such as ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance 3, not to mention the recent noninvasive fibrosis assessment tests (serum fibrosis markers and transient elastography). For these reasons,

Alcoholic cirrhosis involves the replacement of normal liver tissue with scar tissue called fibrosis. This gradual process affects the normal structure and regrowth of liver cells and the liver gradually loses its ability to function well.

Hepatitis C is a virus that is known to cause liver cancer. It cause inflammation in the liver and cause it to swell. When the liver is swollen it becomes sensitive and it causes your liver to not function properly. When time passes it eventually causes the liver to fail thats why when your liver is inflamed it is suggested

The progression from fibrosis to cirrhosis, the end-point of CLDs, is distinguished by a prolonged inflammatory and fibrogenic process that leads to an abnormal angioarchitecture distinctive for cirrhosis. Several mechanisms are responsible for the angiogenic switch during the pathogenesis of CLDs. First, CLDs are characterised by chronic inflammation. Increased intrahepatic vascular resistance is primarily caused by anatomical changes, such as fibrotic scar tissue compressing portal and central venules. In addition, the formation of fibrotic septa, as well as sinusoidal capillarisation, can result in an increased resistance to blood flow and oxygen delivery. This results in hypoxia and the transcription of hypoxia-sensitive pro-angiogenic

Characterized by progressive tissue injury and scarring, cirrhosis is among the leading causes of chronic liver failure in the United States. Recent research conducted by the National Institutes of Health indicated that the prevalence of cirrhosis, especially in clients diagnosed with Hepatitis C, has increased steadily throughout the past decade and will likely continue to increase in the future (Kanwal et al., 2011). Caused by recurrent tissue damage and inflammation, cirrhosis occurs as healthy hepatocytes (liver cells) are replaced by fibrotic and non-functional scar tissue through natural healing processes. Although liver tissue is normally very resilient, sustained injury eventually

In a series of 103 patients with liver cirrhosis, it has been demonstrated that liver parenchymal texture (graded as fine echo texture, mildly coarse, coarse, and highly coarse) has a statistically significant correlation with the degree of fibrosis (Nishiura et al., 2005).

Chronic liver failure from an inability for the organ to repair itself from repeated injury and scarring that remains permanent. Alcoholic liver disease is the 2nd most common diagnoses for liver transplant, however many candidates must abstain from alcohol for a required period in addition to adhering to an abuse program. Metabolic liver disease is a non- alcoholic steatohepatitis where inflammation and scarring can occur from a development of fatty liver not related to alcohol but rather obesity or disorders such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Autoimmune liver disease or (AIH) autoimmune hepatitis where the patient’s own immune needs to be suppressed to prevent destruction of the liver (Tan, 730). Vascular liver disease results in poor blood flow or clotting of hepatic veins and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in which liver transplantation will unquestionably cure HCC so long that the cancer does not spread beyond the liver (Bryce,

Hepatitis is a disease caused by a virus that is characterized by liver inflammation. There are three common types of hepatitis – A, B, and C. “Over the past 15 years the incidences of hepatitis and b virus infection in the US have declined significantly. By contrast, the incidence of hepatitis C, formally stable or in decline, has increased 75% since 2010”. (Dan, 2015)

The last pathological result of chronic liver diseases is Liver cirrhosis, which is a progressive stage of fibrosis. In hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis there are many types of cells and cytokines are contributed. Activation of HSCs is a very important event in fibrosis. Capillarization and Defenestration of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells are the most

Hepatic fibrosis is an essential pathological process of chronic liver disease. If fibrogenic progression of chronic liver disease cannot be regressed or reversed, it will progress to cirrhosis and eventually result in mortality. Establishing an animal liver fibrosis model is critical to understanding fibrogenesis and evaluating the antifibrotic potential of therapies and strategies before any clinical study. Previous liver fibrosis models mostly utilized rats, rabbits, miniature pigs, and other common laboratory small animals. However, nonhuman primates such as cynomolgus macaques are the best animal model for studying human diseases because they share more physiological and pathological similarities with humans.

Cirrhosis is a liver disease caused by the damage and death of liver cells affecting the normal functions of the liver in the body (Penny, 2013). The liver functions include the production of clotting protein for blood coagulation, removal of toxic ammonia from the blood, and regulation of fats and carbohydrates to be used by the body (MedineNet, 2015.) In cirrhosis, the liver are limited and/or cannot perform these functions in the body. Liver cirrhosis is characterized by the formation of scarring tissues that blocks the body’s normal blood flow. It interrupts the “close relationship between the liver cells and blood from the portal vein, which allows the liver cells to remove and add substances