HEADING 1 - Eastern Liver Network



CIRRHOSIS

What is cirrhosis?

Liver cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver is severely scarred. Common causes of cirrhosis are alcohol, fat deposition (usually associated with obesity and diabetes), hepatitis C, autoimmune liver diseases (autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis), hepatitis B and metabolic conditions (haemochromatosis, Wilson’s Disease and Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency).

How common is cirrhosis?

It is estimated that 30,000 people have cirrhosis in the UK and 7,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

What symptoms does cirrhosis cause?

Cirrhosis does not usually cause symptoms until it is advanced. Initially it causes various blood test abnormalities, followed later by symptoms including tiredness, fluid accumulation, weight loss, bruising, yellow jaundice, itch and confusion. Cirrhosis is also associated with liver cancer (approximately 1 in 20 risk per year).

How is cirrhosis diagnosed?

Cirrhosis is diagnosed with a combination of blood tests, radiology investigations such as ultrasound and CT scanning, and liver biopsy. The exact investigation is individually dependent.

How is cirrhosis treated?

The most important treatment of cirrhosis is removing or treating the underlying cause. Otherwise, treatment is aimed at early identification of and dealing with complications. This process involves endoscopies to assess for varicose veins in the gullet, ultrasound scans every 6 months to assess for liver cancer, bone scanning to detect osteoporosis and regular blood test monitoring to pick up early signs of liver failure. Treatment of any of these complications will be discussed should they occur. Ultimately, should liver failure develop despite addressing the underlying cause, consideration of liver transplantation may become necessary.

Vaccination schedules

All patients with cirrhosis should receive vaccination against influenza every year and the pneumovax, in addition to hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination as required depending on blood test results. The reason for immunisation against these viruses is that they can be life threatening for patients with cirrhosis. Vaccination should be arranged through your General Practice.

Further information and useful contacts

• British Liver Trust (.uk)

• patient.co.uk

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download