Alcohol Liver Cirrhosis and Bear, Safeguarding Your Health.
Liver cirrhosis is a progressive disease that affects 10-20% of those that take alcohol over time as reported by the American liver foundation.
The liver is like the water treatment plant of your body system.
Functions and Importance of Liver
- The liver breaks down and filters out harmful substances in the blood by removing toxins from your body.
- It helps in aiding digestion.
- It helps in processing the drugs, vitamins, nutrients you take into your system, to the form your system can utilize.
- The liver is also responsible for cleaning your blood, producing bile for digestion, and storing glycogen for energy.
- regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
- helps in fighting infection and diseases in your body.
The Danger of Excessive Alcohol Consumption
There is clear evidence that excessive alcohol consumption is associated with liver diseases; this is true for all different types of alcoholic beverages.
However, it is apparent that some beverages are more harmful, particularly spirits compared to wine or beer, although this is contentious.
Liver Diseases Associated With Alcohol Consumption
The most common of several forms of cirrhosis is portal cirrhosis, also known as Laennec’s cirrhosis, often it is associated with alcoholism, usually in men advance in age.
Poor nutrition seems to be partly responsible and may account for its prevalence among alcoholics. In some cases, chronic poisoning with industrial fluids, such as carbon tetrachloride, may also play a part.
There is a general consensus regarding the causal role of alcohol and the risk of alcoholic liver diseases especially cirrhosis (Preedy and Watson, 2005).
Alcohol is thought to be the underlying cause of cirrhosis in 39% of men and 18% of women. women worldwide (Rehm et al, 2003) it is accepted that long- term heavy alcohol intake is required to cause cirrhosis; however, there are still questions regarding the minimal threshold above which alcoholic liver diseases can occur.
It has been shown that consumption of 20g of alcohol a day led to a two-fold increase in liver cirrhosis why compared to individuals with no intake (Anderson, 1995). Bodyweight and gender play a role in this.
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Symptoms of Liver Cirrhosis
In the early stage of liver cirrhosis, there may be nothing more than frequent attacks of gas and indigestion.
- Occasional nausea and vomiting.
- Abdominal pain.
- Weight loss.
- As the condition (liver cirrhosis) advances, the patient begins to run a low-grade fever.
- Foul breath.
- For men, loss of sex drive, breast enlargement (gynecomastia), or testicular atrophy.
- For women, absent or loss of periods not related to menopause.
- Jaundiced skin.
- Distended veins on the abdomen. So-called spiders are seen on the face neck, arms, and trunk.
- The abdomen becomes bloated and swollen.
- The mind is clouded, and there may be considerable bleeding from the stomach.
Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis
During the severe stage keep the patient in bed. He must avoid the use of alcohol in any form when treating liver cirrhosis. His diet should be rich in proteins and moderately low in carbohydrates and fat.
IF possible, he should have at least a quart of milk a day, as well as extra vitamins in the form of brewer’s yeast and B12 injections weekly.
Salt should be restricted, particularly if there is swelling in the legs or abdomen. If massive bleeding occurs the patient should be rushed to the hospital and remain there until the hemorrhage is brought under control.
Prevention of Liver Cirrhosis
There is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle when it comes to the prevention of liver cirrhosis. Aside from drinking alcohol everything done in moderation has a positive effect.
If you must drink alcohol, drink in moderation, quitting altogether will be a good idea and beneficial to your system in the prevention of liver cirrhosis.
In preventing liver cirrhosis you have to stay clear from drugs and drug abuse i.e. avoid the use of illicit drugs by sharing needles. Stick to one sexual partner. Unprotected sex could lead to hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections. Avoid bad friends and bad influence.
Eat a healthy balanced diet. Choose a plant-based diet that’s full of fruits and vegetables. Select whole grains and lean sources of protein. Reduce the amount of fatty and fried foods you eat.
Try to work on your weight if you are overweight or obese, endeavor to take all necessary vaccines.