TheGeeze
Member Of The Month - 07/2008
Joined: 20 May 2008
Posts: 542
Location: Magnolia, TX
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 Posted: 07/02/08 - 17:16 Post subject: |
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The four stages of liver disease and prognosis can be broken down as follows:
Inflammation (partially or wholly reversible)
The liver can get inflamed due to certain conditions, use of alcohol and certain chemicals. The conditions that can cause liver inflammation are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Autoimmune Hepatitis, and Wilson's disease. Extensive alcohol use also causes inflammation of the liver. Some drugs and industrial pollutants may affect the liver. Inflammation is characterized by redness, swelling, heat and possible pain in the liver.
Fibrosis (not reversible: mostly functional but not totally)
The second stage of liver disease is fibrosis or scar tissues. After the liver has been inflamed for a long period, connective tissues of the liver accumulate. At this stage the liver functions slowly degrade.
Cirrhosis (not reversible: severely damaged liver, prognosis not good)
The third stage of liver disease is called cirrhosis. When liver has been damaged due to inflammation and fibrosis, it does not function properly. Accumulation of scar tissues blocks blood flow through the liver, preventing it from functioning normally. Some of the symptoms of end stage cirrhosis are edema, bruising and bleeding, jaundice, gallstones, and an increase of toxins in the blood, enlarged blood vessels, and diabetes.
Cancer (end stage; transplantation only hope)
If liver disease is not treated in the earlier three stages, cancer may develop. Liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma, affects approximately 4% of patients with cirrhosis. A liver transplant is one of the options for treating liver cancer. |
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