Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. Cirrhosis affects one of the largest organs in the body, the liver. It is a condition that slowly worsens the liver and is unable to function normally due to chronic injury. Cirrhosis consists of four stages with the fourth stage being the most advanced stage of cirrhosis. When healthy liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar tissue (fibrosis) it’s known as a degenerative disease called cirrhosis. Chronic alcoholism is the leading cause of cirrhosis due to excessive drinking of alcohol, which causes the liver to swell. In sequence with alcoholism and hepatitis C, or alone obesity can be a risk factor in developing cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that can affect many individuals if the condition is not caught in early stages it can become deadly.
Cirrhosis affects the function of the liver, which performs a wide variety of essential jobs like regulating several hormones, helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, removes poisons, drugs and alcohol, and manufactures bile that helps the body to absorb fats and cholesterol. Even though the liver performs many functions it serves as an essential part of the digestive system by producing bile, which is stored in the gallbladder then released into the small intestine where it breaks down fatty food.
In the United States, about 31,000 people die from cirrhosis each year. One in 10 million Americans has some form of liver cancer. “Hepatitis C, fatty
Gil’s assessment, we can look back to see the relatable factors. First, Hispanics usually carry high rates of abstinence from alcohol than other ethnicities, but those that do consume alcohol, often have higher rates of binge drinking (NIH, 2017). Not only does higher rates of binge drinking occur, but Hispanics also have a higher risk for developing alcohol-related liver disease, more so than whites (NIH, 2017). His health history shows that he, at times, consumes alcohol excessively, which is one of the main causes of cirrhosis (Nordqvist, 2015). Excessive consumption of alcohol for men is considered as drinking more than 21 units per week (Nordqvist, 2015). His chronic back pain is showing to affect his physical activity and although an evaluation should be done to see its underlying cause, this is a typical finding in ascites (Health Reference Center, 2017). Ascites is an accumulation of fluid within the abdominal cavity, which is a common complication of cirrhosis. His diagnosis of hyperlipidemia may cause fat to gather in the liver and lead to worsening of the disease (NIH, 2017). His stressful living situation can have a negative impact, physically and mentally, to the body. Stress releases natural killer cells (NKT) that expand in the liver (Franciscus, 2015). This contributes to worsening of liver disease by causing cell death (Franciscus, 2015). Sometimes impaired blood flow can be detected by the part of the brain, controlling
The number one preventive measure of liver cirrhosis is to stop drinking alcoholic beverages. Abstinence from alcohol may be difficult for many alcoholics to do, but the result is beneficial for them. Ninety percent of the people with liver cirrhosis who stopped drinking alcohol lives another 5 years, and only seventy percent chance of living less than five years if they continue to drink alcohol (Penny, 2013). According to Leaper and Hamlin, “liver cirrhosis affects protein metabolism and the ability of the liver to store glycogen, which is required for energy (2011). Therefore, people who have cirrhosis are advised to eat foods high in protein and carbohydrates to maintain body’s functions. Limiting protein intake can cause malnutrition or
It also detoxifies chemicals, metabolizes drugs, stores some vitamins, iron, and sugar, converts stored sugar to functional sugar when the body’s sugar levels fall below normal, breaks down hormones, converts ammonia to urea, destroys old red blood cells ( called rbcs), and the liver excretes bile. Bile goes to the intestines and makes proteins that are used for things like blood clots, resists infection by producing immune factors and getting rid of bacteria from the bloodstream, and clears bilirubin.
Cirrhosis has many causes, although the most common ones are alcoholism and chronic viral hepatitis B, and C. Cirrhosis can develop as a
Fatty liver: It is a curable disease, suffered by a person at large vesicles of triglycerides rally is the leading cause of injury by excessive alcohol intake and obesity.
Liver cirrhosis is a problem that can be caused by many liver diseases. It is a progressive disease itself, developing slowly over many years. It is characterized as scarring to the normal liver tissue which keeps this organ from working as it should and causes it to take on an abnormal structure. The diseases that lead to cirrhosis injure and kill liver cells. Scar tissue that has formed due to inflammation and repair, prevents the cells that have not died to properly replace the dead cells which result in newly formed cell clusters forming within the scar tissue.
Cirrhosis involves a complication in the liver which cause the loss of liver cells and irreversible scarring of the liver. Some of the common causes of the Cirrhosis is the abuse of alcohol fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis B and C. Other possible causes that cause Cirrhosis are Iron buildup in the body, Cystic fibrosis, Copper accumulated in the liver, poorly formed bile ducts, inherited disorders of sugar metabolism and Infection such as Schistosomiasis. Cirrhosis does not show very often signs or symptoms until the liver is damaged extensive. When signs and symptoms do occur According to Mayo clinic
Cirrhosis is a delayed stage of fibrosis of the liver that can be cause by several types of liver diseases and conditions. The liver plays many roles such as detoxifying toxic substances to the body, purifying the blood and producing crucial nutrients. This condition occurs in response to deteriorating the liver which may cause the liver to fail. The damaged liver can’t be undone, but if cirrhosis of the liver is diagnosed and treated early then the damage can be controlled.
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
Alcohol or ethanol is a chemical compound which is classified as a depressant. Depressants slow down the human brain and affect the way the brain interprets information and alters feeling and human behaviour according to (alcoholthinagain, 2017). Alcohol just like any other liquid must pass through the stomach, from there it must pass through the liver. According to (myDr, 2017) the liver must process the alcohol into a chemical compound called acetaldehyde. The acetate is further metabolised and eventually leaves the body safely. However, if excessive alcohol is consumed over a prolonged period of time will result in alcohol related liver disease, from alcohol related fatty liver disease to worst case scenario of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs in response to excessive damage felt to the liver, each time the liver is damaged it attempts to heal itself, in the process creating scar tissue.
The liver plays a pivotal role in material metabolism, such as synthesis of proteins, detoxification, and storage. Liver lesions will inevitably lead to a change in related metabolic network. Cirrhosis, often preceded by hepatitis and steatosis, is a condition in which the liver does not function properly due to long-term damage. Cirrhosis resulted in 1.2 million deaths in 2013, up from 0.8 million deaths in 1990 [1]. Independent of the cause, treatment of cirrhosis partly depends on the underlying cause, with the principle of preventing worsening and complications.
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,
According to the Medscape website, the article Global Burden of Liver Disease Substantial, written by Miriam E. Tucker, states that the deaths from cirrhosis and liver cancer has increased by 50 million per year over the past two decades worldwide. But what exactly is this disease that has been increasing the number of deaths in this world? According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease website, this liver condition consists of the deteriorating of the organ and the incapability to function normally due to a chronic injury. Due to injury, scar tissue of the liver would replace healthy liver tissue and can restrict or block the blood flow through the liver. The liver is known to be the body’s largest and one of
The conditions that lead to chronic liver disease are vast but they fall into five groups (Chronic liver, 2011). The first group is the viral group classification which includes conditions such as hepatitis B and C (Chronic liver, 2011). The second group is the metabolic group which includes diseases such as Wilson’s disease (Chronic liver, 2011). The third group is the autoimmune response group which includes primary biliary cirrhosis sufferers (Chronic liver, 2011). The fourth group is the toxin-related group which includes alcoholism and the last is the miscellaneous group with ailments such as right heart failure (Chronic liver, 2011). Within these groups there is a silent killer though which raises the risk for that group. That is the toxin-related group because alcoholism leads to cirrhosis and then to hepatitis (Chronic liver, 2011). That group alone takes a person through three groups in one shot.
Even though the liver has the ability to react to damage and can repair itself, repetitive insults can produce liver failure or deadly diseases, infections, and disorders. A few such diseases are viral hepatitis, yellow fever, and rubella. Some of the disease caused by bacteria are amebic dysentery, leptospirosis, and streptococcal infections. These diseases can fatally damage the liver.