Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease in which healthy tissue in the liver is converted to scar tissue. The scar tissue impedes normal function of the organ, which in turn hampers your ability to fight off infection, process nutrients from your food and produce proteins for blood clotting. Cirrhosis is a gradual disease; you can still be relatively healthy in the early stages of the condition.
Symptoms and Stages
Cirrhosis is often called a silent disease because you will not always see or feel physical signs of the disease in its early stages. This can lead to a false pretense that you are perfectly healthy when in some cases, you are not. When the liver begins to take a turn for the worse, you might start to experience symptoms, including fluid buildup in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, bruising, jaundice and itching. As the condition progresses to end-stage cirrhosis, your poor health is extremely evident and you may experience infection, insulin resistance and portal hypertension.
MELD Scores
Evaluating your overall health with cirrhosis is performed through a series of tests. The outcome of these tests contribute to a measurement called a MELD score, with MELD standing for model for end-stage liver disease. Your liver and kidney function is measured, as well as your bilirubin level and capacity of your blood to clot. All of these factors determine your MELD score, which is an estimate of your 90-day survival rate at your current level of cirrhosis. MELD scores range from 6 to 40; six is the best score, meaning your chances for survival past the three-month mark are the highest. A low score shows that you can still be healthy and live a relatively normal life even with chronic liver disease.
Staying Healthy
Staying as healthy as you can for as long as possible is a goal when dealing with cirrhosis. Some forms of the disease are caused by alcohol abuse, but others can be the result of a hepatitis infection, cystic fibrosis or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Even if your type of cirrhosis is unrelated to alcohol, abstaining from alcohol can slow the formation of the scar tissue. Eating a nutritious diet with produce, whole grains and lean proteins keeps you healthy and helps your body fight malnutrition, a common side effect of cirrhosis. Steering clear of people infected with the flu or common cold viruses is another way to protect your health. People with cirrhosis have a compromised immune system and are at risk for becoming sick easily.
Treating Complications
Diuretic medications and antibiotics treat complications of cirrhosis such as ascites, a buildup of fluid in your abdominal cavity and infection that may occur due to the excess fluid. While these treatments do not cure the liver disease, they can keep you healthier and more comfortable.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Cirrhosis; December 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Cirrhosis; January 2011
- American Family Physician; Cirrhosis and Chronic Liver Failure: Part I. Diagnosis and Evaluation; Joel J. Heidelbaugh et al.; September 2006
- American Family Physician; Cirrhosis and Chronic Liver Failure: Part II. Complications and Treatment; Joel J. Heidelbaugh et al.; September 2006
