Can you stop progression cirrhosis

Decompensated cirrhosis may be precipitated by: infection, gastrointestinal bleeds, alcohol , electrolyte imbalances, progression of underlying diseases or liver cancer. Cirrhosis is an irreversible process. In most cases there is no medical treatment that alters disease history. However, stopping alcohol does stop progression of alcoholic cirrhosis.

Patients with well compensated cirrhosis who abstain may have a survival similar to normal. There is no treatment for cirrhosis itself short of liver transplantation but management involves treating or avoiding further progression of the cause, managing and avoiding further complications.

General measures include nutritional supplements, a low protein diet if encephalopathy , a low salt diet if ascites. Abstain from alcohol. Symptomatic treatment may be important. Cholestyramine may relieve pruritis or ursodeoxycholic acid. 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. 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. If you have alcoholic liver disease , your doctor will recommend that you completely stop drinking alcohol.

He or she may refer you for alcohol treatment. If you have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , your doctor may recommend losing weight. Weight loss through healthy eating and regular physical activity can reduce fat in the liver, inflammation , and scarring. If you have chronic hepatitis C , your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines that have been approved to treat hepatitis C since Studies have shown that these medicines can cure chronic hepatitis C in 80 to 95 percent of people with this disease.

For chronic hepatitis B , your doctor may prescribe antiviral medicines that slow or stop the virus from further damaging your liver. Doctors treat autoimmune hepatitis with medicines that suppress, or decrease the activity of, your immune system. Doctors usually treat diseases that damage, destroy, or block bile ducts with medicines such as ursodiol Actigall, Urso. Doctors may use surgical procedures to open bile ducts that are narrowed or blocked.

Diseases that damage, destroy, or block bile ducts include primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Treatment of inherited liver diseases depends on the disease. Treatment most often focuses on managing symptoms and complications. The only specific treatment for most cases of cirrhosis caused by certain medicines is to stop taking the medicine that caused the problem. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.

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 alternative medicine to help you cope with cirrhosis. 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.

Preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time. Some basic questions to ask your doctor include:. Cirrhosis care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis Liver biopsy Open pop-up dialog box Close. Liver biopsy A liver biopsy is a procedure to remove a small sample of liver tissue for laboratory testing.

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Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Feldman M, et al. Other diseases of the colon. Elsevier; Accessed Jan. However, you must ensure that health professionals know you have cirrhosis before giving or prescribing any treatment or medication for you.

Diet It is important to eat well and to include a good balance of foods in your diet including vitamins, minerals and calcium. It is likely you will need extra energy and protein. Cirrhosis affects your ability to store glycogen, a carbohydrate that gives you short-term energy.

This means that your body has to use its own muscle tissue to provide energy between meals and this can lead to muscle wasting and weakness. If you are affected in this way, snacking between meals is a way you can top up on calories and protein. Another good method is to eat three or four small meals in a day rather than one large protein or carbohydrate-heavy meal.

You may find having nourishing drinks a help. These can include homemade milkshakes or commercially-made products such as Build Up, Complan, Recovery and Nourishment. These are available at most chemists. It is a good idea to check with your doctor or dietician first to make sure they are suitable for you. Try to avoid salty foods or adding salt to what you eat, to help control fluid retention. Alcohol and cirrhosis Almost everyone who drinks too much alcohol will suffer some liver damage, but this does not necessarily turn into cirrhosis.

As many as nine out of ten people who drink to excess will develop a fatty liver, with one in ten progressing to cirrhosis. In general, the more you drink, the greater your chance of developing alcohol related hepatitis or cirrhosis. A poor diet may make the problem worse. All types of alcoholic drinks can lead to liver disease. If you have cirrhosis — whether it is caused by alcohol or not — you should not drink alcohol at all.

This guideline covers assessing and managing suspected or confirmed cirrhosis in people who are 16 years or older. It aims to improve how cirrhosis is identified and diagnosed. It recommends tools to assess the severity of cirrhosis and gives advice on monitoring people with cirrhosis to detect and manage complications early, and referral criteria for tertiary care. Click here to view the guidance. Click here to view the information for the public.

They are groups of general practices, which come together in each area to commission the best services for their patients and population. ICS Integrated Care Systems are new partnerships between the organisations that meet health and care needs across an area, to coordinate services and to plan in a way that improves population health and reduces inequalities between different groups.

Devolved nations — health is primarily a devolved matter across the four nations which make up the UK. Cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis is the result of long-term, continuous damage to the liver and may be due to many different causes. Facts about cirrhosis How common is cirrhosis? Who is at risk of cirrhosis? No one knows for sure how many people have cirrhosis as most people do not know they have it until the condition is serious.

However, there is no doubt that the number of people with the condition continues to increase. Around people have to have a liver transplant each year to survive. Cirrhosis can affect anyone — men and women, young and old. You are most at risk of having cirrhosis if you: drink too much alcohol have a long-term chronic liver infection, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C have an inherited liver disease, such as genetic haemochromatosis.

Download the publication Cirrhosis of the liver Download. What are the different stages of cirrhosis? Cirrhosis is classified as compensated or decompensated.

If you have cirrhosis, you have develop one or more of the symptoms below. Red flag symptoms If you have any of the following symptoms you must see a doctor straight away, especially if you have recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis: fever with high temperatures and shivers, often caused by an infection shortness of breath vomiting blood very dark or black tarry stools faeces periods of mental confusion or drowsiness.

Some of the tests which may be used for cirrhosis include: Blood tests Liver blood tests are used to gain an idea of how different parts of your liver are functioning.