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    Understanding Treatment for Cirrhosis

    How Do I Know If I Have Cirrhosis?



    Understanding Cirrhosis

    Find out more about cirrhosis:





    It may be helpful to perform a CT scan or ultrasound to further evaluate the extent of liver disease. The doctor may also require a liver biopsy, or tissue sample, and blood tests to ascertain the cause extent of the cirrhosis. In a liver biopsy, a needle is inserted into the liver to draw out a fragment of tissue, which is then sent to a lab for analysis.

    What Are the Treatments for Cirrhosis?

    The best way to treat cirrhosis is to correct the underlying cause. This could involve giving up alcohol, seeking treatment for viral hepatitis or an inherited disorder, or eliminating certain substances from your diet or environment. Some conditions cannot be cured, but medications can put them into remission.

    Besides halting the progress of the disease, conventional treatment also aims to correct any complications, such as internal bleeding, which in themselves can be disabling or life-threatening.

    If your cirrhosis is caused by alcoholism, you simply must stop drinking -- immediately and completely. If you continue to drink after you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, you have less than a 40% chance of living more than five years. If you stop drinking, however, those chances increase to 60%-70%.

    Giving up alcohol is also the best way to remedy alcoholic hepatitis and alcohol-induced fatty liver. Both of these conditions usually clear up when the patient stops drinking long enough for the liver to heal. Conventional treatment of cirrhosis caused by chronic viral hepatitis emphasizes rest, proper nutrition, and possibly the use of the drug interferon and other antiretroviral medications. Interferon is often combined with an antiviral drug called ribavirin, which can improve chances for a cure. Some types of hepatitis, however, cannot be cured.

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