What to do if you have liver cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis of the liver is an extremely harmful disease. If not treated in time, it will endanger life safety. Therefore, once there is discomfort in the liver area, active treatment should be sought. At present, there are four treatment methods: general treatment, drug treatment, antiviral treatment, and liver transplantation. Patients can choose the appropriate treatment method according to their condition.

1. General treatment

1) Rest: Patients with compensated liver function should reduce their activities appropriately, and patients in the decompensated stage should mainly rest in bed;

2) Diet: Generally, high-calorie, high-protein, vitamin-rich and delicious food is recommended.

3) Supportive care

2. Drug treatment

1) Supplement various vitamins.

2) Drugs that protect liver cells. Such as Musu Pills, Gantaile, Weibinggan, Ganning, Yiganling (silymarin tablets), inosine, etc., vitamin CB6, potassium chloride, soluble insulin are added to 10% glucose solution

3. Antiviral treatment

1) Compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis: The treatment indication for HBeAg-positive patients is HBVDNA ≥ 10 copies/ml, and for HBeAg-negative patients it is HBVDNA ≥ 10 copies/ml, and ALT is normal or elevated. The goal of treatment is to delay and reduce the occurrence of liver decompensation and HCC. Because long-term treatment is required, it is best to use nucleoside (acid) analogs with a low incidence of drug resistance.

2) Decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis: For patients with decompensated cirrhosis, as long as HBV DNA can be detected, regardless of whether ALT or AST is elevated, it is recommended to start nucleoside (acid) analog antiviral treatment in a timely manner based on their informed consent to improve liver function and delay or reduce the need for liver transplantation. Because long-term treatment is required, it is best to use nucleoside (acid) analogs with a low incidence of drug resistance, and the drug should not be stopped at will.

4. Liver transplantation

The first formal liver transplant in humans was performed in 1963. According to foreign statistics, since 1980, the three-year survival rate of liver transplantation has been as follows according to the number of disease types: advanced non-alcoholic cirrhosis about 41%; alcoholic cirrhosis 20%; biliary atresia 60%; hepatocellular carcinoma 20%; cholangiocarcinoma <10%. Given that most patients with advanced liver disease have no other satisfactory treatments and that survival rates after liver transplantation will continue to improve, it is expected that more and more patients with various chronic liver diseases will receive liver transplantation in the future. The factor that affects liver transplantation is mainly the liver donor problem.