Cirrhosis and chronic liver failure were the 12th most common cause of death in the United States in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cirrhosis represents the end stage of any chronic liver disease, says the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). As the disease is progressing, scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. Slowly, liver loses its ability to take care of normal liver functions, such as removing bacteria and toxins from the blood, controlling infection control, making proteins that regulate blood clotting and processing nutrients, hormones and drugs. Yet not all chronic liver diseases will advance to cirrhosis. The main causes of cirrhosis are Hepatitis C and excessive alcohol consumption.
Compensated Cirrhosis
Biopsy is needed to tell that the person is suffering from cirrhosis on the compensated cirrhosis stage because, in most cases, the patient has no symptoms. Compensated cirrhosis is typically discovered during surgery or routine tests for other problems says Dr. Joel Heidelbaugh and colleagues in a study published in the "American Family Physician "Journal in September 2006. Even liver function tests can show normal enzyme readings. If symptoms appear, they are minor and might include fatigue, nausea, tick coating on the tongue and dull liver pain, says the Department of Veterans Affairs. At this stage, the liver is still able to perform many of its functions although it is heavily scarred, says the Hepatitis C Advocate.
Decompensated Stage
Cirrhosis symptoms worsen significantly once the person reaches the decompensated stage. Among these symptoms are exhaustion, loss of appetite, spider moles, impotence, nausea, jaundice, weight loss and stomach pain, says the Hepatitis C Advocate. Many complications can also appear. Portal hypertension, low albumin levels and kidney dysfunctions can cause accumulation of fluid in the body. Since the liver is no longer able to produce clotting factors, bleeding can occur.
Decompensated Stage
The progress of the cirrhosis is not linear. Although the patient may have spent years or even a decade without any symptoms, the progress of the illness speeds up as it is getting more severe, says the Hepatitis C Advocate. Liver failure can cause mental confusion, amnesia, swelling of the brain, coma and even death. Liver failure is caused by toxic substances in the blood that are typically removed by a normal, healthy liver.
References
- Department of Veterans Affairs: Management and Treatment of Patients with Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis C Advocate: Disease Progression:What is Cirrhosis?
- "American Family Physician Journa"; Cirrhosis and Chronic Liver Failure; Joel Heidelbaugh, Michael Bruderly; September 2006
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Deaths: Final Data for 2007
