CIRRHOSIS AND CHRONIC LIVER FAILURE:
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?
By Alan S. Peterson, MD
What is Cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis (say: sih-roh-sis) is a disease of the liver. Normally, your liver does many things. It helps your body digest fat and breaks down cholesterol, gets rid of poisons like alcohol, breaks down drugs, and stores energy. It also helps your body form blood clots and helps you recover from wounds if you are hurt. If you have cirrhosis, your liver cannot do some or many of these things well.
What causes this disease?
Many things can cause cirrhosis. The most common cause is drinking too much alcohol or having Hepatitis B or C infection. Just being obese for many years can also cause cirrhosis. Some people can get it from being around poisonous chemicals for a long time or from too much iron or copper in your liver.
How do I know if I have Cirrhosis?
You may feel less hungry than usual. You may feel sick and dizzy, have stomach pain, vomit, or lose weight. You may have swelling in your abdomen or your belly. Your eyes or skin may turn yellow (this is called jaundice) and your skin may itch. Cirrhosis may also affect your brain. This can cause you to be confused or hallucinate (see things that aren’t there). You could even go into a coma. But, many people don’t have any symptoms at all. Your doctor may do tests to find out for sure if you have this disease.
How is Cirrhosis treated?
It depends on what caused the disease. Your doctor will treat any serious problems like fluid in your abdomen, infection, confusion, coma, or bleeding. You should not drink alcohol at all. If the disease was caused by hepatitis, you may need medicine to help fight that infection. If you have had the disease for a long time, depending on your age, you may need a liver transplant. If you have not already had immunizations to prevent Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B (assuming you don’t have Hepatitis B), then these should be obtained. You don’t need any added risk from these liver viruses.
Where can I get more information?
Obviously you should talk to your family physician or gastroenterologist. The American Liver Foundation can be an excellent source of information at 1-800-465-4837 or their website which is www.liverfoundation.org. The American Gastroenterological Association can be reached also at 1-301-654-2055 or their website at www.gastro.org.
Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville
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