Cirrhosis Research Paper

The liver’s job is to break down harmful substances, including alcohol. Excessive drinking can cause alcoholic hepatitis which can lead to the development of jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Chronic liver inflammation can lead to severe scarring known as cirrhosis. This formation of scar tissue can destroy the liver. When the liver fails to perform, toxic substances remain in your body. Liver disease is life threatening. Women are at higher risk for alcoholic liver disease than men, because women’s bodies tend to absorb more alcohol and take longer to process

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.

The liver is our most valuable organ, we can only survive one or two days if it shuts down. Some of the most import functions of the liver include: Clearing the blood of waste products, drugs, and other poisonous substances. The liver also produces immune factors and removes bacteria from the bloodstream to help combat infection. There are many inflammatory conditions that can affect the liver's detoxification process. The medical term hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver. Chronic fatigue, and many other chronic illnesses can be aggravated by a buildup of toxins. Multiple chemical sensitivity can also be a problem that can include an intolerance to caffeine, alcohol, perfumes, and cleaning agents. These intolerance's tends to get progressively worsen over time and can be very damaging to the mitochondria.

Liver is a complex organ which has vital functions in synthesis , detoxification and regulation; its failure therefore has life threatening condition.

Major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma include infection with HBV or HCV, alcoholic liver disease, and most probably non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Less common causes include hereditary hemochromatosis, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency, autoimmune hepatitis, some porphyrias, and Wilson’s disease, aflatoxin ingestion, exposure to inorganic arsenic through drinking water (Shamseddine et al., 2009). The distribution of these risk factors among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is highly variable, depending on geographic region and race or ethnic group (El-Serag and Rudolph, 2007). Most of these risk factors lead to the formation and progression of cirrhosis, which is present in 80 to 90% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (Chen et al.,2009).

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

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,

Cirrhosis is a chronic and irreversible disease that causes cell destruction and fibrosis of the hepatic tissues. This scared tissue formation alters normal liver structure and vasculature that impairs blood and lymph flow. Ultimately resulting in hepatic insufficiency and hypertension in the portal vein. Three major forms of cirrhosis of the liver are Laennec’s cirrhosis, post necrotic cirrhosis, and biliary cirrhosis. Laennec’s cirrhosis results from malnutrition and chronic alcohol consumption. It is also the most common form of cirrhosis. Post necrotic cirrhosis results from drug induced massive hepatic necrosis and biliary cirrhosis consists of chronic bile obstruction. Cirrhosis is more prevalent among malnourished older adult men over

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

Hepatitis is defined as an irritation of the liver and is an infectious disease that is caused by viruses, alcohol and medications that attacks the liver. When the virus gets into the liver, the liver becomes inflamed. The body’s immune system tries to fight off the virus with lymphocytes and in the end the liver is destroyed more. Fibrosis occurs because of the scarring of the liver. When the scarring gets so bad the blood flow slows down and causes cirrhosis of the liver. Blood begins to back up and leak into organs in the body. The function of the liver is to manufacture proteins and to regulate transportation of fat stored and to control production and excretion of cholesterol. There are six types of Hepatitis A, B, C, D,

This paper is about the end-stage liver disease, commonly known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a slow deterioration of the liver, where healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue, therefore inhibiting the proper flow of blood through the liver. It is highly asymptomatic but susceptible in those with a history of heavy alcohol consumption, drug use via IV, or hepatitis. Typically, cirrhosis is diagnosed after its complications have already developed. There are over 3.9 million adults nationwide diagnosed with chronic liver disease according to the CDC/National Center for Health Statistics. While there are many possible causes for developing cirrhosis, the most common are: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, alcohol-related liver disease and chronic hepatitis

When the illness becomes chronic many can develop complications such as liver cancer or cirrhosis.

Over time the liver is unable to metabolize the alcohol and leads the liver to form fibrous tissue, develop nodules, and the liver shrinks and has a nodular uneven appearance (Pearson, 2015). Biliary cirrhosis is another type of liver disease that is characterized by the inability of bile to be excreted, causing build up within the liver which eventually destroys the cells within the liver. The third type of cirrhosis is known as posthepatic cirrhosis and is the result of a patient having hepatitis B or C resulting from an unknown cause. This type of cirrhosis causes the liver to shrink and become nodular and fibrous resulting in destruction of the liver cells. Risk factors for all three types of cirrhosis include high risk behaviors such as consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, drug use (primarily IV), unsafe sexual behaviors leading to the development of hepatitis B or C. Clinical manifestations of cirrhosis include portal hypertension, which is caused by the portal vein becoming inflamed and casing blood to be rerouted to adjoining lower pressure vessels, splenomegaly, ascites which is the enlargement of the stomach due to a collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity, esophageal varices, which are enlarged, thin walled veins that form in the esophagus, portal, systemic encephalopathy, which is due to neurotoxins being rerouted into the blood, hepatorenal syndrome caused by imbalanced blood flow, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, which is a contamination of the peritoneal cavity (Pearson,

In decompensated cirrhosis, patient can develop jaundice, ascites or encephalopaty (Bedossa and Poynard, 1996). The risk for decompensation is estimated to be 5% per year in cirrhotics (Poynard et al., 1997). Once patient developed decompensation, the 5-year survival rate is reaching upto 50% (Planas et al., 2004). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed in patients with cirrhosis and liver transplantation is then the only effective therapy (Kim, 2002).

Alcoholism was the commonest cause of cirrhosis 51 (72.85%), with incidence of chronic hepatitis B being 5(7.14%). 13 patients had cirrhosis of unknown etiology. This finding was different from that of Maric et al 10 where 43% had chronic hepatitis B infection