Cirrhosis of the liver of the 4th stage - how it develops and which stages precede severe damage
Cirrhosis of the liver is called pathology, which develops as a result of the violation of blood flow in the blood vessels of the liver and dysfunction of the bile ducts. The disease occurs against a background of a chronic form of hepatitis and is characterized by a breakdown in the structure of liver tissue. Cirrhosis of the liver of stage 4 is an incurable disease.
Men at risk after age forty-five are usually included in the risk group. The incidence of cirrhosis of the liver of any nosological form according to the world medical statistics is from 2 to 8%.
Thanks to the use of effective methods of therapy and prevention of the disease, lethal outcome occurs in no more than 50 diagnoses per 100,000 injured.
The liver is the largest endocrine gland in the human body that is responsible for the realization of the most important functions:
- The main function of the liver is detoxification - that is, it helps to destroy harmful components and remove toxins from the body.
- The liver is responsible for the formation of bile, which contains bile acids, which participate in the processes of digestion of food.
- Synthetic functions of the body consist in its participation in the formation of proteins, vitamins, fats and carbohydrates and in the processes of destruction of hormones.
- The formation of the most important clotting factors begins in the liver.
- The liver takes part in the formation of the protective function of the human body through the formation of antibodies.
- The liver contains a large supply of useful components, which, if necessary, can be supplied to other organs and cells.
Stage of progression of the disease
Cirrhosis of the liver, regardless of its origin, progresses by one common mechanism, which consists of three stages of cirrhosis:
- Stage 1 - latent or initial, it is not accompanied by biochemical abnormalities.
- Stage 2 - cirrhosis of the liver of the 2nd stage is a subcompensation, when the clinical signs begin that testify to a violation of the functioning of the liver.
- Stage 3 - this stage of decompensation or progression of hepatic-cell failure with simultaneous activation of the portal form of hypertension.
Another classification of the gradual progression of liver failure is known, combining laboratory abnormalities as well. In accordance with this classification, three degrees of severity of the disease are distinguished: cirrhosis of class A, class B and class C. Class C appears as a terminal stage. Clinical signs that help classify the severity of the lesion are the degree of manifestation and presence of ascites and liver encephalopathy.
The last stage of progression of cirrhosis
The final terminal stage of liver cirrhosis is characterized by a marked deterioration in the state of all systems and organs in the human body. Such a course of pathology does not lend itself to any treatment. At the terminal stage, the liver decreases noticeably in volume, acquires a stony structure and completely loses its ability to recover.
The appearance of a person also has some specific manifestations, so diagnosing the disease at the final stage will not be difficult. The skin takes an earth shade, the hands, legs and face of the affected person swell noticeably. The abdomen is greatly enlarged and becomes simply huge due to the accumulation in the abdominal cavity of a huge fluid. On the anterior wall of the abdominal part, a dense network of veins appears.
Patients with cirrhosis at the stage of decompensation should be urgently hospitalized for the purpose of organizing drug therapy and restoring the work of systems and organs. The main danger and unpredictability of the last stage of the disease is a sharp deterioration in the state of health and the development of complications - bleeding in the esophagus and stomach, liver encephalopathy, coma and in the end - malignancy and degeneration into organ oncology.
Treating the pathological condition of
Cirrhosis never gives a complete cure, only in the first stages it is possible to slow the progression of pathology. If you start the process, the treatment can only help to remove the discomfort and slow the occurrence of complications.
The essence of the therapy of liver cirrhosis is the implementation of the following therapeutic measures:
- Taking diuretics.
- Adherence to proper nutrition - that is, the rejection of fatty foods and alcoholic beverages. In ascites, it is required to reduce the amount of salt used.
- If there is an autoimmune deviation, a course of glucocorticoid hormones is prescribed.
- With the development of the viral form of hepatitis and to reduce the intensity of the disease, antiviral treatment is used.
- Medicines that protect hepatic cells.
- If the liver loses the ability to purify the blood of toxic substances, then the organization of plasmaphoresis is required.
- Drugs that reduce pressure in the portal vein.
If the exacerbation begins and the first complications of the disease appear, the patient's hospitalization will be necessary.
In advanced situations, surgical intervention is required. The following operations can be performed for treatment:
- Shunting. The purpose of such an operation is to create new channels for blood flow. Blood from the organs of the digestive system falls into the general bloodstream, bypassing the liver. A large number of such operations are known, but they can not completely cure, but only for a time facilitate portal hypertension.
- Parentesis is used to remove fluid accumulated in the abdominal area. Manipulations are realized due to punctures in the wall of the peritoneum.
- Liver transplant.
How to improve the effectiveness of treatment and prevent disease
Prevention of the disease consists in counteracting alcoholism, adherence to dietary rules and eliminating occupational causes that have toxic effects on the liver.
It is important to timely prevent and actively treat such pathological conditions as epidemic hepatitis, diseases that cause congestion of bile are cholangitis, inflammation of the bile canals, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis and others.
Treatment should be implemented in a comprehensive approach, you need to monitor the presence of high-calorie food in the diet. Food should be enriched with carbohydrates, B vitamins and proteins. It is necessary to include in the diet kefir, milk, cottage cheese, vegetables and fruits, jelly, bread, river fish and lean meat.
It is strictly forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages, to use sour and very sharp foods and canned food.
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