Every year, liver cirrhosis, a devastating medical illness, affects people all over the world, including India, which is responsible for 20% of all liver-related deaths worldwide.
Cirrhosis, often known as the end stage of liver disease, is brought on by the extreme scarring of liver tissue. Alcohol misuse, chronic hepatitis, biliary disorders, fatty liver, and long-term use of hepatotoxic medications are a few ailments and diseases of the liver that can cause the condition. Your liver struggles to function properly when it has scarred tissue. Additionally, research indicates that almost one-fourth of persons in India are obese or overweight. They are thus at risk of developing fatty liver disease. In addition, the nation's alcohol consumption is increasing.
How does that work? Every time your liver is wounded, it strives to heal itself. Excessive alcohol use, chronic hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty steatosis, and other factors may contribute to liver damage. The liver produces scar tissue as it repairs itself. Cirrhosis worsens as more scar tissue develops, which hinders the liver's ability to function. Advanced liver cirrhosis necessitates rapid medical attention since it is fatal. In severe situations, a liver transplant may become necessary. A liver transplant replaces the diseased liver with a healthy one from a donor. In actuality, cirrhosis is the primary factor in liver transplantation.
The risk factors, causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of liver cirrhosis will now be examined in detail: risk elements Alcohol addiction or excessive alcohol usage are the main risk factors for liver cirrhosis. Being obese or overweight increases your risk of developing illnesses that can result in cirrhosis. These ailments could include non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As a result, one of the risk factors for cirrhosis is obesity. This disease can also result from having viral hepatitis. The most common cause of liver disease worldwide is chronic hepatitis, albeit not every patient will progress to cirrhosis.
Causes: Hepatitis B and C virus infections, excessive alcohol use, fatty liver induced by obesity, and diabetes are other common causes. Other causes include autoimmune hepatitis, a liver illness brought on by the body's immune system, and hemochromatosis, a condition that causes the body to accumulate iron. Cirrhosis can also result from long-term usage of hepatotoxic medications.