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What Are Symptoms Of Cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis can be a tricky type of liver disease, which can literally sneak up on a person. Often times, patients do not experience symptoms of cirrhosis until damage has already been done to the liver.

Once damage has been done to the liver and symptoms are being experienced, the damage to the liver is usually quite extensive.  There are several different symptoms of cirrhosis, which a person may experience.

Symptoms of cirrhosis are often times confused with other common ailments

Some common symptoms of cirrhosis include:

•     edema of the legs or ascites of the abdomen (fluid buildup)

•     fatigue

•     weakness

•     jaundice (yellow skin and whites of eyes)

•     itching (pruritus)

•     bad nosebleeds (epistaxis)

•     reddened palms

•     small red spots and tiny lines on the skin, referred to as spider angiomas

•     bleeding from enlarged veins (varices) in the digestive tract

•     easy bruising

•     easy bleeding

•     weight loss and muscles wasting

•     belly pain or discomfort

•     frequent infections

•     confusion

Cirrhosis is a condition which may be caused by many different variables.  Hepatitis and fatty liver are two of the possible causes of cirrhosis.  Cirrhosis causes the healthy scar tissue in your liver to be replaced with scar tissue.  Scar tissue cannot work or function properly and problems begin.  The scar tissue blocks the blood flow from the intestines to the liver, which eventually leads to an increased pressure of the veins, which supply this area.  This condition is referred to as portal hypertension.  Portal hypertension may lead to other complications:

•     fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity

•     bleeding from enlarged veins in the digestive tract

•     increased or swollen spleen

•     infection of the fluid in the belly

•     altered brain function

•     kidney failure

•     lung problems

•     fluid builds up between the lungs and the chest

If you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, you are at an increased risk for developing gallstones.  The more severe the disease is, the higher risk you are for developing gallstones.  You are also at a higher risk for developing liver cancer or for needing a liver transplant. 

Your liver is very important to your overall body function.  With over 500 functions, your liver helps to cleanse your blood, stores extra blood in case of emergency and is the only organ in your body that regenerate itself if you lose a portion of it.  Think of your liver as your body’s engine.  If there’s something wrong with the engine, your body may still work, but it won’t work the way it should.  That being said, it’s important to take care of your liver and to know the signs to look for so that if something serious does go wrong, you know to make a doctor’s appointment.

Tags: alcohol abuse, alcohol induced liver disease, cirrhosis, Fatty liver, liver, liver cancer, liver disease, tissue scarring

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