Liver Cirrhosis Treatment in Kolkata: Options You Need to Know

 Many people complain of fatigue, itchy skin, easy bruising, swollen legs, libido, and red patches on palms. Clearly, these are symptoms of liver cirrhosis, a condition whereby the liver experiences scarring from long-term damage. It’s mostly an end-stage liver disease. Individuals diagnosed with this disease may have that organ working, but it may eventually lead to failure and prove life-threatening.

Now, we will not be surprised if you question, “Is there a cure for liver cirrhosis?” Unfortunately, there is usually no cure, but documented medical methods to manage the signs and related complications. Let this blog post enlighten you about liver cirrhosis treatment in Kolkata.

How Can Liver Cirrhosis Be Addressed?

Currently, there is hardly any way to put an end to cirrhosis. However, you can always seek the help of a GP or a liver specialist to slow down its progression. The doctor you consult will recommend any of the following:

1. Lifestyle changes

Stop liver cirrhosis from creating further complications by staying true to the established lifestyle changes:

• Quit smoking

• Get vaccinated with travel or annual flu vaccine

• Avoid alcohol

• Introduce exercise in your daily routine to lower muscle loss

• Consult a GP when taking OTC or prescribed medicines, as your condition may have an impact on how they work

• Fight obesity with full determination

• Resort to good hygiene to reduce the risk of infections

Club this lifestyle change with dietary shifts to prevent malnutrition as it’s common in people living with liver cirrhosis. A balanced diet will ensure you have the right nutrient intake. Along with it, cut down on salt intake to lower the chance of swelling in your tummy, legs and feet. Also, avoid having 3-4 small meals instead of 2 large meals a day. When snacking, eat as healthy as possible. Trust the experts, it is the best liver cirrhosis treatment in Kolkata if you are trying to avoid medicines.

2. Medications

The kind of medicine you will be prescribed is entirely dependent on the cause of liver damage. For instance, liver specialists usually advise antiviral medicine to treat cirrhosis stemming from long-term viral hepatitis.

If conditions like oedema arise, doctors may prescribe a low-salt diet in combination with diuretics. Likewise, there are medicines for relieving portal hypertension, whereby the main vein carrying blood to the liver suffers from high blood pressure. On the contrary, skin itching is dealt with prescription creams.

3. Managing complications

When liver cirrhosis gets worse, the liver stops functioning, and health problems arise. Treatments vary according to complications, some of which are:

• Build up of fluid in the tummy and legs

It’s a common health issue as cirrhosis progresses. While cutting out salt from diet and intake of medicines, like diuretics, helps manage the condition, antibiotics are necessary when an infection in the fluid develops. Critical cases have witnessed the fluid draining from the tummy with the assistance of a tube.

• Bleeding

The system of blood clotting malfunctions in patients with cirrhosis. As a result, an operation or dental work increases the chances of bleeding. The only way to treat it is through the transmission of plasma.

• Swollen veins

Swelling of the oesophagus is a common occurrence with the significant progression of cirrhosis. The condition is recognized as oesophageal varices with beta blockers controlling the bleeding. Of the other treatment methods, endoscopic variceal band ligation is another measure.

• Encephalopathy

It’s a type of condition where the brain malfunctions due to inadequate toxin clearance, causing sleepiness, concentration problems, and confusion. While a lactulose syrup offers some relief, rifaximin prevents infections.

4. Liver Transplant

When the damage is severe as the cirrhosis progresses, a liver transplant is the only way out. It involves operating to swap a diseased liver with a healthy organ from a donor. However, the waiting period is long as suitable donor livers are hard to find.

5. Diabetes

Cirrhosis and diabetes (type 2) are bound to worsen the condition of individuals when they coexist in their bodies. Careful monitoring and intake of several medicines causes some relief.

6. Liver cancer

Many may be unaware, but cirrhosis triggers liver cancer, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since the signs and symptoms of both conditions are more or less similar, regular monitoring makes sense. After every 6 months, getting an ultrasound scan and a blood test is recommended to determine the condition.

Final Thoughts:

If you have gone through this blog, we bet you have gained significant insights about liver cirrhosis treatments. In the future, you can engage in more meaningful discussions with doctors, shoot your doubts with confidence, participate in care, and express concerns when you or any of your relatives are diagnosed with liver fibrosis. If you found this post informative, stay tuned for more such blogs on liver treatment and ulcerative colitis treatment in Kolkata.