Life expectancy with cirrhosis varies from 3 to 10-15 years

The first question patients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis of the liver: how I live after a diagnosis of such condition?

No doctor will give an exact answer, because the life expectancy of cirrhosis varies from 3 to 10-15 years depending on many factors: the degree of development of the disease, age, sex and state of health of the patient, finally, his will to live and desire to overcome the disease.

Cirrhosis are more prone to middle-aged men, but in women the disease is faster.

Liver cirrhosis is an irreversible pathological process in liver tissue, in which healthy cells die and transformirovalsya in connective tissue. This disease is one of the most common causes of death each year die from cirrhosis of the liver 40 million people.

That causes fatal disease:

• chronic alcoholism;
• viral hepatitis A, b, C;
• severe stage of infection the parasite;
• diseases of the biliary tract;
• congestive circulatory disorders, heart failure;
• hereditary disorders of metabolism;
• innate immune pathology;
• prolonged intoxication with poisons in hazardous work;
• long-term use of toxic drugs;
• Smoking.

The stages of development of the disease

The terrible disease there are several stages:

1. Compensated stage. Asymptomatic, as a function of the dead cells take stored cells. With timely diagnosis and effective treatment prognosis is positive: the development of the disease fails to slow down to 15-20 years.
2. Subcompencirovanna stage. Dead cells are increasing, the liver struggles to perform its functions. Manifest initial symptoms: constant fatigue, weight loss, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, digestive problems, increased body temperature, swelling, bleeding, itching, men grow Breasts, women lost hair underarms, and pubic area. Data analyses reveal characteristic changes in liver performance, bowel movements become light shade; during the inspection the liver is enlarged, has a rough surface; ultrasound shows multiple extensions of the venous ducts and large components. In case of refusal of alcohol and Smoking, diet and doctor’s recommendations, patients living with cirrhosis of the liver for 5-7 years. In the second stage, the issue of a liver transplant.
3. Decompensated stage. The liver can not cope with the cleansing of the body, and developing complications: hepatic encephalopathy (a disorder of higher mental functions due to oppression of the brain by toxins), esophageal and gastric bleeding, hepatic coma, liver cancer, thrombosis, ascites. How long can you live at this stage? 1-2 years. A favorable prognosis is possible only if the patient successfully carried out a liver transplant, if he can undergo surgery and recover from it.
4. End-stage or liver cirrhosis 4 degrees. This is the most severe, dying phase of the disease, in which the patient is unconscious. The symptoms cannot be confused with other stages. The liver is significantly reduced in size shrinks, the patient depletion occurs, the stomach becomes huge due to the accumulation of fluid, body temperature is constantly high. End-stage cirrhosis the treatment is not subject, the patient is assigned symptomatic therapy. Death from cirrhosis of the liver occurs in many patients due to gastric and esophageal bleeding.

Treatment depending on the origin of disease

Life expectancy with cirrhosis of the liver largely depends on timely diagnosis and determine the exact cause of the disease. All patients assigned to detoxification therapy, aimed at continuous cleansing the body of accumulated harmful substances, vitamin and nutrition therapy. Necessarily prescribed drugs, stabilizing the metabolism, stimulating the secretion of bile and protect liver cells from damage.

If cirrhosis of the liver caused by chronic alcoholism, saving the patient will be avoiding alcohol. Paradoxically, alcoholics live with cirrhosis of the liver longer than other patients – 10 years or more.

Viral origin of cirrhosis, the emphasis in treatment is on antiretroviral therapy and strengthen the immune system.

If the disease develops due to autoimmune disorders when the body rejects its own cells, treatment should be aimed at the suppression of an overly active immune system.

With the development of cirrhosis because long-term use of hepatotoxic drugs immediately cancel them and appoint hepatoprotectors.

In severe stages of the disease is applied transfusion (administration of blood products, electrolyte solutions) and stem cell therapy. Patients with ascites are shown salt-free diet and diuretics for fluid removal. To stop bleeding use drugs that improve blood clotting. Patients in a state of hepatic coma completely eliminate protein from the diet, medication is administered intravenously; after an exit from a coma protein gradually returned to the diet.

Surgical treatment is patients with liver cirrhosis are not over 55 years of age, with pronounced symptoms of portal hypertension (increased pressure in the portal vein); the stage of the disease should be characterized by preserved liver function, absence of exacerbation of the pathological process; there should be no symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy. Depends on how long I’ll live, a person suffering from liver cirrhosis.

Prevention of disease

One of the main measures of prevention is the prevention of viral hepatitis. To do this, in the national calendar of vaccination was made compulsory vaccination of newborns against hepatitis b In first day of life. Since hepatitis is transmitted through blood, you should be very careful with the cuts and tactile contact with strangers.

It should be remembered that alcohol is a strong poison, causing necrosis of liver cells. Do not calm yourself with statistics, how many live with cirrhosis chronic alcoholics: every patient pathological process occurs with different intensity, but absolutely everyone it is irreversible.

When you need regular medication should check whether they are hepatotoxic. If so, you need to replace the drug and urgently to examine the liver.

Whatever stage sudden discovery of a disease, you need to stop panic and not to question how you live with cirrhosis of the liver. Instead, you should immediately take appropriate steps to fully examine his body, to comply with all recommendations of the attending physician, to observe a strict diet, give up bad habits, if you need to go to the hospital. Timely taken measures will allow to slow down pathological processes, will contribute to the regeneration of liver cells, improve health, overall improvement of the body.