
Medication
Algorithm for the management of patients with (or with suspected) liver cirrhosis in General Practice. PCPs can manage cirrhotic patients by checking therapy effectiveness and side effects.
Procedures
Of note, liver cirrhosis may result from coexisting etiologic factors (i.e. alcohol and viral infection, obesity and virus, etc.). Table 1 Diagnostic tests, suggested etiology, and current treatment for the most frequent forms of liver cirrhosis in adult patients Abnormal test(s) Etiology Treatment γGT (high), MCV (high) Alcohol Abstinence
Therapy
In advanced cases of cirrhosis, when the liver ceases to function, a liver transplant may be the only treatment option. A liver transplant is a procedure to replace your liver with a healthy liver from a deceased donor or with part of a liver from a living donor. Cirrhosis is one of the most common reasons for a liver transplant.
Self-care
The content begins with a diagnostic algorithm, the revised flowchart for nutritional therapy, and refracted ascites, which are of great importance to patients with cirrhosis.
Nutrition
How to manage patients with suspected liver cirrhosis in general practice?
What are the etiologic factors of liver cirrhosis?
When is a liver transplant needed for cirrhosis?
What is the content of the cirrhosis treatment guide?

What are the factors responsible for cirrhosis?
CausesChronic alcohol abuse.Chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, C and D)Fat accumulating in the liver (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease)Iron buildup in the body (hemochromatosis)Cystic fibrosis.Copper accumulated in the liver (Wilson's disease)Poorly formed bile ducts (biliary atresia)More items...•
What is the best treatment for liver cirrhosis?
If cirrhosis progresses and your liver is severely damaged, a liver transplant may be the only treatment option. This is a major operation that involves removing your diseased liver and replacing it with a healthy liver from a donor.
What is the biggest risk factor for cirrhosis?
Alcohol abuse is a leading cause of cirrhosis in the US, which in turn is linked with an increased risk of liver cancer.
What is the priority in a patient with liver cirrhosis?
Nursing management for the patient with cirrhosis of the liver should focus on promoting rest, improving nutritional status, providing skin care, reducing risk of injury, and monitoring and managing complications.
Can you recover from liver cirrhosis?
There is no cure for cirrhosis, but removing the cause can slow the disease. If the damage is not too severe, the liver can heal itself over time.
What can a person with cirrhosis eat?
Cirrhosis can rob your body of nutrients and weaken your muscles. To combat these effects, eat lots of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein from poultry or fish. Avoid oysters and other raw shellfish, because they contain bacteria that could cause an infection.
How can you prevent cirrhosis?
How can I prevent cirrhosis of the liver?Don't abuse alcohol. If you do drink alcohol, limit how much you drink and how often. ... Eat a well-balanced, low-fat diet, such as the Mediterranean diet. ... Don't eat raw seafood, especially oysters and clams. ... Cut back on the amount of salt in your diet.
What foods can damage your liver?
Worst foods for your liverAlcohol. Alcohol-related liver disease is due to years of drinking too much alcohol. ... Fried foods. Fried foods, like chicken fingers and French fries, are high in saturated fat. ... Processed meats. ... Soda.
What are the early warning signs of cirrhosis of the liver?
Fluid Retention As a result, the liver is unable to do its job effectively, leading to accumulation of fluid in the abdomen (ascites), or even swelling in the legs and ankles. Fluid retention is the most common indicator that the liver may be damaged, occurring in 50 percent of people with cirrhosis.
What is the goal treatment of a patient with hepatic cirrhosis with ascites?
The goals of therapy in patients with ascites are to minimize ascitic fluid volume and decrease peripheral edema, without causing intravascular volume depletion.
What are the complications of liver cirrhosis?
Major complications of cirrhosis include ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, portal hypertension, variceal bleeding, and hepatorenal syndrome.
Why is nutrition important with cirrhosis?
If you have liver cirrhosis, it's important to get enough calories and high quality protein each day. This can help prevent malnutrition and preserve lean body mass — the part of your body that isn't fat.
How to stop cirrhosis from getting worse?
What can I do to help keep my cirrhosis from getting worse? 1 Do not drink alcohol or use illegal drugs. 2 Talk with your doctor before taking#N#prescription medicines#N#prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids#N#over-the-counter medicines, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and acetaminophen#N#NIH external link#N#dietary supplements#N#NIH external link#N#, including herbal supplements. 3 Take your medicines as directed. 4 Get a vaccine for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, flu#N#NIH external link#N#, pneumonia#N#NIH external link#N#caused by certain bacteria#N#NIH external link#N#, and shingles#N#NIH external link#N#. 5 Get a screening blood test for hepatitis C. 6 Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. 7 Avoid raw or undercooked shellfish, fish, and meat. 8 Try to keep a healthy body weight#N#NIH external link#N#.
How to get rid of liver cancer?
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Avoid raw or undercooked shellfish, fish, and meat. Try to keep a healthy body weight. Talk with your doctor about your risk for getting liver cancer and how often you should be checked.
When do doctors consider liver transplants?
When do doctors consider a liver transplant for cirrhosis? Your doctor will consider a liver transplant when cirrhosis leads to liver failure. Doctors consider liver transplants only after they have ruled out all other treatment options. Talk with your doctor about whether a liver transplant is right for you.
Can you stop taking cirrhosis medicine?
The only specific treatment for most cases of cirrhosis caused by certain medicines is to stop taking the medicine that caused the problem . Talk with your doctor before you stop taking any medicines.
Can cirrhosis be cured?
Some of the diseases that cause cirrhosis can be cured. Treating the underlying causes of cirrhosis may keep your cirrhosis from getting worse and help prevent liver failure. Successful treatment may slowly improve some of your liver scarring.
Can you drink alcohol with cirrhosis?
Doctors most often treat the causes of cirrhosis with medicines. Your doctor will recommend that you stop activities such as drinking alcohol and taking certain medicines that may have caused cirrhosis or may make cirrhosis worse .
Can chronic hepatitis C be treated?
Chronic hepatitis C. If you have chronic hepatitis C, your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines that have been approved to treat hepatitis C since 2013. Studies have shown that these medicines can cure chronic hepatitis C in 80 to 95 percent of people with this disease. 5.
What causes cirrhosis in the liver?
Causes. A wide range of diseases and conditions can damage the liver and lead to cirrhosis. Some of the causes include: Chronic alcohol abuse. Chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, C and D) Fat accumulating in the liver (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) Iron buildup in the body (hemochromatosis) Cystic fibrosis.
What are the complications of cirrhosis?
Complications. Complications of cirrhosis can include: High blood pressure in the veins that supply the liver (portal hypertension). Cirrhosis slows the normal flow of blood through the liver, thus increasing pressure in the vein that brings blood to the liver from the intestines and spleen.
What is the scar tissue in the liver?
In cirrhosis (right), scar tissue replaces normal liver tissue. Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. Each time your liver is injured — whether by disease, excessive alcohol consumption or another cause — it tries ...
What is the genetic disorder of the liver?
Genetic digestive disorder (Alagille syndrome) Liver disease caused by your body's immune system (autoimmune hepatitis) Destruction of the bile ducts (primary biliary cirrhosis) Hardening and scarring of the bile ducts (primary scleros ing cholangitis. Infection, such as syphilis or brucellosis.
Where is the liver located?
About the size of a football, it's located mainly in the upper right portion of your abdomen, beneath the diaphragm and above your stomach.
Can cirrhosis be undone?
Advanced cirrhosis is life-threatening. The liver damage done by cirrhosis generally can't be undone.
Can alcohol cause cirrhosis?
Drinking too much alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for cirrhosis. Being overweight. Being obese increases your risk of conditions that may lead to cirrhosis, such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Having viral hepatitis.
What is the primary cause of fatty liver?
The primary fatty liver results from the accumulation of fat, mainly of triglycerides in liver cells in the presence of insulin resistance, and frequently occurs as part of the metabolic syndrome which is made up of obesity, type 2 DM and dyslipidemia[27].
Why is diabetes complex in cirrhotic patients?
Treatment of diabetes in the cirrhotic patient is complex because of the presence of liver damage and the hepatotoxicity of oral hypoglycemic drugs. Therefore, pharmacological therapy must be closely monitored for the risk of hypoglycemia[3,5,19].
Is hepatogenous diabetes hereditary?
The natural history of hepatogenous diabetes is different from that of hereditary type 2 DM, since it is less frequently associated with microangiopathy. In contrast, the patient with cirrhosis and diabetes suffers more frequently from complications of cirrhosis, which can cause death[2,4,19].
Does cirrhosis cause hyperinsulin?
However, a recent study reports that in patients with Child B grade liver cirrhosis the hyperinsulinism may be produced by an increase of the pancreatic β-cell sensitivity to glucose, whereas disturbance of hepatic insulin extraction does not seem to have a significant role[55].
Does DM increase the risk of HCC?
DM increases the severity and mortality of HCC. At present, type 2 DM is considered a risk factor for the occurrence of HCC. Hepatogenous diabetes together with hepatitis B and C virus infection and alcoholic liver cirrhosis increases the risk of HCC by 10-fold[1,2].
Is cirrhosis a glucose intolerant disease?
Up to 96% of patients with cirrhosis may be glucose intolerant and 30% may be clinically diabetic [1]. Currently, it is a matter for debate whether type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), in the absence of other risk factors contributing to metabolic syndrome (obesity and hypertriglyceridemia), could be a risk factor for the development and progression ...
Is cirrhosis a type 2 diabetes?
Abstract. About 30% of patients with cirrhosis have diabetes mellitus (DM). Nowadays, it is a matter for debate whether type 2 DM in the absence of obesity and hypertriglyceridemia may be a risk factor for chronic liver disease. DM, which develops as a complication of cirrhosis, is known as “hepatogenous diabetes”.

Diagnosis
Clinical Trials
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
Alternative Medicine
Specialist to consult
Preparing For Your Appointment
- People with early-stage cirrhosis of the liver usually don't have symptoms. Often, cirrhosis is first detected through a routine blood test or checkup. To help confirm a diagnosis, a combination of laboratory and imaging tests is usually done.
Overview
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Symptoms
- If you have cirrhosis, be careful to limit additional liver damage: 1. Don't drink alcohol.Whether your cirrhosis was caused by chronic alcohol use or another disease, avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol may cause further liver damage. 2. Eat a low-sodium diet.Excess salt can cause your body to retain fluids, worsening swelling in your abdomen and legs. Use herbs for seasoning your foo…
Causes
- A number of alternative medicines have been used to treat liver diseases. Milk thistle (silymarin) is the most widely used and best studied. However, there is not enough evidence of benefit from clinical trials to recommend use of any herbal products to treat liver cirrhosis. In addition, some alternative medications may harm the liver. Talk with your doctor if you're interested in trying alt…
Risk Factors
- If you have cirrhosis, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in the digestive system (gastroenterologist) or the liver (hepatologist). Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment and what to expect from your doctor.
Complications
- Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. Each time your liver is injured — whether by disease, excessive alcohol consumption or another cause — it tries to repair itself. In the process, scar tissue forms. As cirrhosis progresses, m...
Prevention
- Cirrhosis often has no signs or symptoms until liver damage is extensive. When signs and symptoms do occur, they may include: 1. Fatigue 2. Easily bleeding or bruising 3. Loss of appetite 4. Nausea 5. Swelling in your legs, feet or ankles (edema) 6. Weight loss 7. Itchy skin 8. Yellow discoloration in the skin and eyes (jaundice) 9. Fluid accumulation in your abdomen (ascites) 10…