Signs of Liver Cirrhosis | Cirrhosis of the liver | Liver Disease

Liver cirrhosis - Warning Signs 🔥 Don't ignore these Red Flags | Chronic Liver Disease | Fatty Liver to Liver Cirrhosis Journey | Cirrhosis of liver

Cirrhosis is like severe scarring on the liver, and it can result from various liver diseases or conditions, including hepatitis and chronic alcoholism.

Whenever the liver experiences injury, whether due to excessive alcohol consumption or infections, it initiates a natural healing process. During this process, scar tissue starts to form.

As cirrhosis progresses, more and more scar tissue accumulates, gradually impairing the liver's ability to perform its vital functions.

In its advanced stages, cirrhosis becomes a life-threatening condition, demanding immediate attention.

It's important to note that the liver damage caused by cirrhosis is generally irreversible. However, there is hope. When cirrhosis is detected early, and the root cause is treated, further damage can often be minimized.

In exceptional cases, with prompt intervention and the right treatment, some damage caused by cirrhosis may even be reversed.

Cirrhosis often has no symptoms until liver damage is severe.

Initially you may experience some generalised symptoms like, nausea, loss of appetite, feeling weak or tired. You may also experience upper abdominal pain, specially on the right side.

Signs can be divide into two groups: those linked to liver problems and those connected to portal hypertension

First, let's look at symptoms related to declining liver function. When your liver isn't working as it should, you might notice some of these signs.

First important sign is jaundice, when your skin and eyes turn yellow. It's a common sign of liver problem.

Next is itchy skin or Pruritus.
It can occur due to various reasons, including skin conditions, allergies, or underlying health issues like liver problem, and it typically leads to a strong urge to scratch the affected area even if there's no visible rash.

Next thing you should check is your urine and poop colour. Your pee might get darker, and your poop lighter in color.

Digestive problems can arise, especially with fatty foods. You may experience unexplained weight loss and muscle loss. Motor problems like twitching or muscle control issues may occur.

Female patient may experience irregular menstrual cycle

Now, let's talk about symptoms linked to portal hypertension, which means high blood pressure in the liver due to scar tissue.

A significant indicator of advanced liver disease or cirrhosis is the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, known as ascites in medical terminology. This fluid buildup can cause a range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, nausea, and, in severe cases, breathing difficulties.
You may also experience swelling in your hands, feet, legs and face

You may notice blood in the stools, or you may vomit blood if any large vessels around your stomach that developed due to portal hypertension rupture.

You can see web-like clusters of blood vessels under your skin which is called spider angioma or spider telangiectasia. The lesion contains a central, red spot and reddish extensions which radiate outward like a spider's web. They may appear as multiple or solitary lesions.It is painless. It can be seen in many other conditions like Thyrotoxicosis, Rheumatoid arthritis and Pregnancy. However, multiple spider angiomas are characteristic of chronic liver disease with a specificity of 95%

You can have a temporary neurological disorders called hepatic encephalopathy. When the liver doesn’t work properly, toxins build up in the blood. These toxins can travel to the brain and affect brain function. People with hepatic encephalopathy may seem confused and irritated. Other findings like Balance problems and altered personality can also be seen.

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