TALKING MEDICINE: Quit alcohol,save your liver from cirrhosis
What you need to know:
- There is currently no way to compensate the absence of the liver in your body.
- Usually, when it’s damaged, in cases of liver failure, the only option is to seek for a transplant.
Your liver weighs 1.5 kilograms and performs over 500 functions in your body. From fighting infections to digestion of food.
There is currently no way to compensate the absence of the liver in your body.
Usually, when it’s damaged, in cases of liver failure, the only option is to seek for a transplant.
Causes of liver failure
Failure of liver to perform its functions can be due to scarring of the liver tissue, a condition medically known as Cirrhosis.
Liver cirrhosis is commonly caused by heavy alcohol consumption, infections like Hepatitis B and C.
Other causes include nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is often caused by obesity.
Some medicines and harmful chemicals are linked to cirrhosis.
Furthermore, there is what we call “autoimmune hepatitis” whereby the body’s immune system destroys liver cells. This can also can result into cirrhosis.
Symptoms of liver cirrhosis
Patients with liver cirrhosis may have no symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
As cirrhosis gets worse, one may experience unexplained fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach pain and loss of weight.
As the liver fails to perform its functions, patients begin experiencing swelling of the abdomen and legs, easy bruising, vomiting blood, yellowish coloration of skin and eyes and body itching.
What to do
Reduce or quit alcohol intake: Though it is the liver that breaks down alcohol, when you drink too much alcohol, it damages the liver cells. Some studies have shown that about 1 in 10 heavy drinkers will eventually develop cirrhosis.
Prevent Hepatitis: Hepatitis B and C can be prevented by practicing safe sex, refraining to share needles and other sharp objects. Hepatitis B can also be prevented by immunisation.
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