LIVERrate yourself with Liver Cirrhosis

by Hazel Ann Odtohan

They say you’ll never know what you have until it’s gone and you’ll never know the importance of a thing unless it’s taken away from you. But what if you knew what you had and knew how important it was to you but you chose to simply take it for granted just because?

“Here’s to alcohol: the cause and solution to all of our life’s problems,” said Homer Simpson of The Simpsons. But what does a laidback fictional character really know about life’s problems? And more importantly, about livers especially damaged ones?

The liver is the largest organ in the body and it performs many important functions, such as manufacturing blood proteins that aid in clotting, oxygen transport, and immune system function. It is our very own chemical processing plant. If not for your liver, you would not be able to process nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals from your body.

The liver is labeled as a “silent organ” because it can be damaged without sending any signals or symptoms. One of the damages that it can encounter is the liver cirrhosis.

Liver cirrhosis is a slowly processing disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, eventually preventing the liver from functioning properly. The scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs and naturally produced toxins, it also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver.

Causes

Cirrhosis happens when there are repeated episodes of inflammation and attempted healing in the liver. The initial damage can be cause by toxins, viruses, auto-immune inflammation or disorders of the body’s metabolic processes.

Many people associate liver cirrhosis with Alcoholism.

Chronic alcoholism is the leading cause of cirrhosis in the United States. Drinking too much alcohol can cause the liver to swell, which over time can lead to cirrhosis. The amount of alcohol that causes cirrhosis is different for each person.

It usually takes about 10 years of heavy alcohol drinking for cirrhosis to develop. Women can develop cirrhosis with 2-3 alcoholic drinks a day, which might not be considered by some to be “heavy.” Similarly, men who have 3-4 alcoholic drinks a day can also develop cirrhosis.

Meanwhile in the Philippines, the leading cause of liver damage that may lead to liver cirrhosis since 2012 has been Hepatitis B, according to a report by the Hepatology Society of the Philippines. Moreover, studies show that there are more than 7.7 million people chronically infected with Hepatitis B, of whom 1.1 and 1.9 million are expected to die prematurely of cirrhosis.

Symptoms

Often, especially in the early stages of cirrhosis, there may be no symptoms at all or some people may notice only minor changes in their body. Early symptoms of cirrhosis include loss of appetite, weight loss, tiredness and weakness, and nausea.

Later on, as the cirrhosis progresses, liver function gets poorer and other symptoms can develop ascites which is a build-up of fluid in the abdominal activity, bruising and bleeding, intense itching, jaundice or the yellowing of skin, spider naevi or the dilated blood vessels in the skin with a spidery appearance often seen on the face and chest of people with cirrhosis, gallstones, reddening of the palms of the hand and gynaecomastia or enlarged breast tissue in men.

It can also lead to mental disturbances since a cirrhosed liver can no longer filters out toxins which can build up in the blood, and eventually cause mental impairment, starting with poor concentration, forgetfulness or not being to complete simple tasks, but may progress to personality changes, even coma.

Prevention: Drink Responsibly

According to Dr. Antonio Aranas, one of the university doctors of Xavier University, the 2 best possible ways to reduce the risk of contracting cirrhosis are by making lifestyle adjustments, such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and by drinking in moderation, if at all.

“There’s a reason why alcohol companies changed their slogan from Drink Moderately to Drink Responsibly because each one of us have different alcohol dosages,” he added.

As of now, the best way to get rid of liver cirrhosis is liver transplant which is very expensive. But there are other options aside from a transplant such as supportive therapy and taking vitamins.

LIVERated

“As early as now, we have to take care of our livers because if we lose our liver, we will die. The people have to be educated about drinking alcohol,” Dr. Aranas finally said.

To some who love to drink, to quit is one of the hardest things to do but then it’s so hard to quit until you quit. And then it is the easiest thing in the world.

It might sound easier said than done, but losing your liver and worst, your life, surely isn’t. Especially to your loved ones.

Be a thinker, not a drinker. Don’t get trooped by alcohol.

#health #liver #livercirrhosis