The human body is susceptible to numerous diseases and illnesses, and some of them may be hereditary. But on the other hand, some other kinds of illness result from an unhealthy diet, lifestyle, unhealthy habits etc. One such illness which affects the health of the liver is Liver Cirrhosis. This occurs due to some of the conditions like hepatitis, excessive consumption of alcohol etc. In this type of liver disease, the healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue in the liver, and this scar tissue prevents the normal functioning of the liver and thereby impairing the health of an individual.
Even though cirrhosis of the liver is not curable, it is treatable. There are many effective ways to treat cirrhosis of the liver. During the treatment procedure of cirrhosis of the liver, doctors usually have two main goals, one of which is to prevent complications and stop further damage to the liver. Hence to know more about the ways to treat cirrhosis of the liver, following this article would provide in-depth knowledge about the best way to treat cirrhosis of the liver:
Ways to Treat Cirrhosis of the Liver:
Quit Alcohol, Counselling Can Help
One of the ways to treat cirrhosis of the liver is through alcohol abuse treatment. The human liver breaks down and removes toxins from the body. As alcohol is also a toxin, drinking too much of it makes the liver work extra hard to process the alcohol, and this causes damage to the liver. Refraining from drinking alcohol can keep this liver disease at bay. However, if an individual becomes entirely dependent on alcohol, it might be difficult for them to cut down on the consumption of alcohol. But through counselling sessions, taking the help of a support group, and getting indulged in a rehab session, the dependency on alcohol can be reduced and thus liver can be saved from getting damaged due to cirrhosis.
Also Read: Best Foods to Cleanse and Detoxify your Liver
Hepatitis Treatment
Hepatitis B and C can also give rise to liver disease cirrhosis. Effective and efficient treatment of this can prevent cirrhosis of the liver. The treatment of cirrhosis for this type includes anti-viral treatment, which can easily lead to a cure for numerous people. For these come, medication of cirrhosis is included though they do not directly cure cirrhosis of the liver but treat the hepatitis condition, which further prevents the occurrence of liver cirrhosis. This includes the anti-viral drugs which attack the hepatitis virus. Another kind of medication used is interferon, such as interferon alpha 2b and pegylated interferon. This medicine boosts the immune system of the human body and enables it to fight off the hepatitis virus.
Also Read: Foods that are Bad for your Liver Health
NASH Treatment
Another efficient way to treat cirrhosis of the liver is through NASH treatment. NASH refers to Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis, which is also a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and is one of the main causes of liver damage. It causes scarring of the liver through the accumulation of fat on the liver and, thereby, liver cirrhosis. However, there are no medications to reverse the build-up of fat in the liver, but controlling the condition which gives rise to such a problem can help stop the liver from getting damaged. NASH can be effectively treated through the control of diabetes, loss of weight, reduction the cholesterol levels etc. Moreover, consulting doctors might prescribe pioglitazone or vitamin E to people who suffer from NASH but do not have diabetes.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Treatment
The presence of an excess amount of fat can also damage the liver. Usually, obese people are more likely to suffer from the problem of cirrhosis of the liver as they have an excess amount of fat in their body which gets deposited on the liver. The effective treatment for cirrhosis of this kind is the procedure of non-alcoholic fatty liver treatment. The most efficient procedure under this treatment is to lose weight and excess fat in the body. By having a healthy diet and exercising regularly, one can burn fat and lose weight.
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Treatment
Primary biliary cirrhosis refers to a serious condition in which the immune system of the body tends to damage the liver and cause cirrhosis of the liver. In this disease, the bile duct of the human body is targeted primarily, and it is destroyed. As the function of the bile duct is to carry digestive fluid from the liver to the gallbladder and intestines, damage to the duct prevents it from functioning normally. People suffering from this kind of cirrhosis are treated with medications of cirrhosis, such as ursodiol which effectively works by slowing the damage to the liver.
Liver Transplant
Cirrhosis can damage the liver up to a point where no treatment for cirrhosis will be effective. Neither the medications for cirrhosis will help in subsiding the symptoms and preventing damage to the liver. In such an extreme stage, the liver does not perform any function, and it causes liver failure. Liver failure can only be treated with a liver transplant in which the damaged liver in the human body is replaced with a healthy liver from a donor. But this depends upon the severity of liver cirrhosis and only in the case where no way to treat cirrhosis of the liver works effectively.
Conclusion
Hence, from the above discussion about ways to treat cirrhosis of the liver, it would be clear what is cirrhosis of the liver and the ways to treat it. Liver cirrhosis is not curable, but it can be treated with effective procedures and some medications which can inhibit the liver damage process. People suffering from liver cirrhosis should take precautions to prevent further damage to the liver. Reducing the consumption of alcohol, preferring not to eat fatty or unhealthy foods, and exercising regularly are some of the ways to effectively treat and prevent cirrhosis of the liver.