Replacing normal liver tissues with connective, called cirrhosis. Because of this substitution, the functionality of this internal organ is impaired.
Stages of cirrhosis development
This disease passes through the following stages:
- compensated;
- subcompensated;
- decompensated.
Features of the course of cirrhosis of the liver
As a rule, the first stage of cirrhosis of the liver is asymptomatic. To judge the presence of the problem can only be based on the results of the examination, which mark hepatic changes. Visible signs begin to appear only in the second and subsequent stages.
At the 2 stages of liver cirrhosis the following changes can be observed:
- loss of appetite, which leads to a sharp decrease in body weight;
- yellowness of the eye sclera, skin and mucous membranes;
- itching at night;
- the decline of forces ;
- severe blood loss in trauma caused by poor blood coagulability;
- the appearance of vascular asterisks on the skin;
- darkening of urine, etc.
At the terminal stage of liver cirrhosis, irreversible processes occur. Because of the degeneration of tissues, this "natural filter" ceases to neutralize toxins, which leads to the death of the patient. This stage of the ailment is accompanied by such symptoms:
- vomiting;
- atrophy of muscle tissue;
- weakness;
- presence of blood in stool ;
- severe weight loss, etc.
At this stage of the disease, treatment is aimed only at prolonging life to the patient. If you do not replace the affected internal organ with a healthy one, the patient's lethal outcome is inevitable.
It should be noted that the same ailment can have a different intensity of development:
- rapidly developing illness with pronounced clinical symptoms (in 5 years all stages pass);
- subacute form (duration - up to 8 years);
- slowly progressing ailment (about 11 years the life expectancy of such patients);
- Sluggish cirrhosis (up to 16 years such a disease develops);
- latent form (the illness does not influence the longevity of the patient).