Introduction
In the first place, in the Western world liver cirrhosis is one of the leading causes of death right after cardiovascular disease and cancer. Among people aged 45 to 65 it is the 3rd leading cause of death. The tragedy, which is important to realize is that most of these cases of liver cirrhosis are preventable and most of them are cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse. At the same time, in other parts of the world where hepatitis B runs rampant cirrhosis of the liver is due to the chronic scarring from infectious hepatitis.
Hepatitis C is emerging from the intravenous drug use with contaminated needles and this will develop into cirrhosis of the liver in virtually all cases in the long-term.
Liver Cirrhosis
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
With obesity being more common, a new cause of getting liver cirrhosis has emerged. People get the reversible fatty liver disease (also known as “non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” or NAFLD) where fat is incorporated into the liver. In like manner, diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, as well as elevated cholesterol and lipids cluster together with this. Moreover, when any of these are also present with NAFLD inflammation leads to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (=NASH). In a Danish study patients with NAFLD were observed for 17 years and less than 1% developed cirrhosis of the liver. On the other hand, 1 in 4 patients with NASH (liver cirrhosis that developed out of a fatty liver) will die within 5 years with liver-related complications. In this context it is important to know that 2 to 3% of adults in the US have NASH and 20% of these will develop liver cirrhosis (Ref. 9).
Cinnamon to improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
First of all, in a recent trial researchers administered two 750mg capsules of cinnamon to the experimental group with NAFLD. They gave inert capsules to the placebo group. The most compelling evidence was that there was a remarkable improvement in inflammatory markers and liver function tests in the cinnamon group. Furthermore, chronic biliary obstruction ( for instance from gall stones) is another important reason to develop cirrhosis of the liver. The surface of the liver is knobbly instead of shiny and smooth. This can be seen on this image of a liver with cirrhosis.
Portal hypertension
Finally, with end stage cirrhosis of the liver patients develop portal hypertension. This is a condition where the blood, which normally flows from the veins of the bowels to the liver will not be able to get into the liver and thus experiences an increase in pressure in that system (hence the name “portal hypertension”). Consequently venous escape routes establish themselves in these patients, namely via the lower esophageal veins (esophageal varices), the rectal veins and the peri-umbilical veins.
Symptoms
It is important to realize that many patients are asymptomatic for several years. The first symptoms may be weight loss, lack of appetite, nausea and weakness. In patients with biliary obstruction there often is a chronic skin itch, which leads to an intractable and very annoying itching leaving scratch marks all over the body. When bile-salts back up jaundice is visible in the skin in more advanced cases.
With a cirrhosis based on chronic alcohol abuse there may be signs of malnutrition with wasted muscles and symptoms from chronic pancreatic insufficiency (due to chronic pancreatitis). Portal hypertension is common in these patients and often these patients will die from a sudden massive bleed from ruptured esophageal varices. Other complications are the development of ascites( free watery fluid in the abdomen), liver failure with metabolic derangement and systemic bleeding from a lack of clotting factor production by the cirrhotic liver. Hepatic encephalopathy is another late symptom. With this patients present with confusion. Their thought processes are severely disturbed and their behaviors are grossly out of control. This can create severe commotions in the hospital setting, at home or wherever they are.
Treatment
In the past there was no cure, but only symptomatic therapy for end stage liver cirrhosis. In contrast, now liver transplants are available for severe cirrhosis of the liver. A gastroenterologist follows these patients and treats the various symptoms symptomatically. When they reach the stage, beyond which the complication rate becomes unacceptable, a liver transplant comes up in the discussion. Cholestyramine relieves pruritus (= itchy skin). The physician must encourage the patient to remove toxic substances and alcohol to allow the liver to recover. The care giver must tell the patient to reestablish proper nutrition.
In some autoimmune induced cirrhosis cases there might be a place for azathioprine. For chronic hepatitis C patients interferon-gamma has been used with some success. Eventually the gastroenterologist will likely recommend at least to some patients a liver transplant. This is not an instant cure, as following this procedure the patient has to be available for regular follow-up visits with occasional laparoscopic liver biopsies to monitor immune rejection and treat this with immunosuppressant medication. The transplantation team subjects the potential liver transplant recipient to screening tests in order to establish the suitability of the person. Transplantation is not for everyone. However, the alternative is premature death.
When “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease” (=NAFLD) is treated with aggressive weight loss measures and calorie restriction, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (=NASH) and liver cirrhosis can be prevented.
Prevention of liver cirrhosis
In June of 2006 an article in the Archives of Internal Medicine described a protective effect of drinking coffee. The publication says that drinking coffee every day protects from liver cirrhosis. Each cup of coffee per day had a protective effect of 22% over a 7 year observation period. This effect was absent for tea drinkers. See details here.
References
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3. PA Totten et al. J Infect Dis 2001 Jan 183(2): 269-276.
4. M Ohkawa et al. Br J Urol 1993 Dec 72(6):918-921.
5. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed., Copyright © 2001 Mosby, Inc., pages 976-983: “Chapter 107 – Acute Abdomen and Common Surgical Abdominal Problems”.
6. Marx: Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 5th ed., Copyright © 2002 Mosby, Inc. , p. 185:”Abdominal pain”.
7. Feldman: Sleisenger & Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 7th ed., Copyright © 2002 Elsevier, p. 71: “Chapter 4 – Abdominal Pain, Including the Acute Abdomen”.
8. Ferri: Ferri’s Clinical Advisor: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment, 2004 ed., Copyright © 2004 Mosby, Inc.
9. Metabolic Syndrome Rounds, St. Michael’s Hospital , Toronto/ON, Canada; March 2006, Vol. 4, Issue3.
10. Suzanne Somers: “Breakthrough” Eight Steps to Wellness– Life-altering Secrets from Today’s Cutting-edge Doctors”, Crown Publishers, 2008
