Liver cirrhosis is the diagnosis when the liver is hardened, shrunken, or scarred. It happens after many years of liver damage and gets to the point where the liver can no longer be repaired by itself. Gradually, without a liver transplant, it will fail and lead to death. Depending on when the diagnosis occurred, however, recovery may be possible – especially with a liver transplant, if that is needed. As with almost all diseases, prevention is best. Hiring 24-hour home care can help them follow a care plan. However, if someone does have liver damage, a prompt diagnosis is important.
If you are caring for your elderly loved one and they have liver cirrhosis or you want to help them prevent it, there are some things that you may want to learn about this condition.
Risk Factors for Liver Cirrhosis
24-Hour Home Care Monroeville PA – Liver Cirrhosis: Learn More About it TodayThere are various risk factors for liver cirrhosis. However, some of the most common risk factors include:
- Having chronic hepatitis B or C
- Chronic alcohol abuse
- Having an autoimmune liver disease
- Having fatty liver disease
- Inherited conditions such as Wilson’s disease or hemochromatosis
- Mixing alcohol and drugs for many years
If your elderly loved one falls into these categories, it doesn’t automatically mean they will get liver cirrhosis. However, their risk would be increased compared to those who don’t land in these categories.
If your elderly loved one already has liver cirrhosis or symptoms of it, be sure they are getting the medical care they need from doctors and assistance from 24-hour home care providers.
Reversing the Condition
If your elderly loved one is still in the earliest stage of liver cirrhosis, it could be possible for them to reverse the damage. There is something called the cirrhosis diet that reduces sodium consumption. By following this diet, your elderly loved one can maintain a healthy weight and reduce the swelling of their liver. If you or a 24-hour home care provider is getting groceries for your elderly loved one who may have this disease or want to prevent it, look up meals for the fatty liver disease diet.
Stages of Liver Cirrhosis
As mentioned above, there are different stages of liver cirrhosis. These stages include:
- Stage 1 – mild (often difficult to detect), a common symptom is fatigue, can still be reversed, 99% 1 -year survival rate
- Stage 2 – scar tissue builds up in the liver, portal hypertension of the liver, increased blood pressure, partial reversal may be possible, the 1-year survival rate is 98%
- Stage 3 – fluid accumulates in the abdomen, weight loss, fatigue, confusion, yellowing skin, the 1-year survival rate is 80%
- Stage 4 – a lot of scar tissue built up in the liver causing a risk of rupturing, internal bleeding can be caused which would be life-threatening, life expectancy at 1-year is 43%
Now that you have more information regarding the statistics of various stages of liver cirrhosis, you can know where your elderly loved one fits if they have the disease. You also know what you can be working on to prevent it if they don’t have liver cirrhosis yet.
Hire 24-Hour Home Care Providers
The information here today gives you a fairly good idea of what liver cirrhosis is and more about the stages. If your elderly loved one has this disease, you and 24-hour home care providers can help with their care.
Sources: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/cirrhosis#:~:text=Cirrhosis%20is%20a%20condition%20in,your%20liver%20begins%20to%20fail.
If you or a loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Monroeville PA, please call and talk to the caring staff at Extended Family Care of Pittsburgh at (412) 693-6009. We will answer all of your questions.
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