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Treatment for Cirrhosis of the Liver

Pronunciation - suh-ROH-sis

Liver damage from cirrhosis cannot be reversed, but treatment can stop or delay further progression and reduce complications. Treatment depends on the cause of cirrhosis and any complications a person is experiencing.

For example, cirrhosis caused by alcohol abuse is treated by abstaining from alcohol.

Treatment for hepatitis related cirrhosis involves medications used to treat the different types of hepatitis, such as interferon for viral hepatitis and corticosteroids for autoimmune hepatitis.

Cirrhosis caused by Wilson disease, in which copper builds up in organs, is treated with medications to remove the copper.

These are just a few examples - treatment for cirrhosis resulting from other diseases depends on the underlying cause.

In all cases, regardless of the cause, following a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol are essential because the body needs all the nutrients it can get, and alcohol will only lead to more liver damage. Light physical activity can help stop or delay cirrhosis as well.



Treatment will also include remedies for complications. For example, for ascites and edema, the doctor may recommend a low sodium diet or the use of diuretics, which are drugs that remove fluid from the body. Antibiotics will be prescribed for infections, and various medications can help with itching. Protein causes toxins to form in the digestive tract, so eating less protein will help decrease the buildup of toxins in the blood and brain. The doctor may also prescribe laxatives to help absorb the toxins and remove them from the intestines.

For portal hypertension, the doctor may prescribe a blood pressure medication such as a beta blocker. If varices bleed, the doctor may either inject them with a clotting agent or perform a so called rubber band ligation, which uses a special device to compress the varices and stop the bleeding.

When complications cannot be controlled or when the liver becomes so damaged from scarring that it completely stops functioning, a liver transplant is necessary. In liver transplantation surgery, a diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one from an organ donor. About 80 to 90 percent of patients survive liver transplantation. Survival rates have improved over the past several years because of drugs such as cyclosporine and tacrolimus, which suppress the immune system and keep it from attacking and damaging the new liver.

Cirrhosis

For More Information
American Liver Foundation (ALF)
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603
New York, NY 10038 4810
Phone 1 800 GO LIVER (465-4837)
1-888-4HEP-USA (443-7872)
or 212-668-1000
Fax 212-483-8179
Email info@liverfoundation.org
Internet www.liverfoundation.org

Hepatitis Foundation International
504 Blick Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20904 2901
Phone 1-800-891-0707 or 301-622-4200
Fax 301-622-4702
Email hfi@comcast.net
Internet www.hepfi.org

United Network for Organ Sharing
P.O. Box 2484
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone 1-888-894-6361 or 804-782-4800
Internet www.unos.org

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892 3570
Phone 1-800-891-5389
Fax 703-738-4929
Email nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov

1) Cirrhosis of the Liver
2) Causes of Cirrhosis of the Liver
3) Symptoms of Cirrhosis of the Liver
4) Complications of Cirrhosis of the Liver
5) Diagnosis of Cirrhosis of the Liver
6) Treatment of Cirrhosis of the Liver


References:
NIH Publication No. 04 1134
December 2003
digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

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