Liver Fibrosis: Stages, Treatment, and Symptoms!

What is Liver Fibrosis

What is Liver Fibrosis: Liver is among the most important parts of the body. It is responsible for so many important functions of the body. If the liver is not working properly, there is a possibility that a person suffers from a lot of problems. Likewise, there is the condition of liver fibrosis.

The present generation is more prone to liver conditions due to their unhealthy lifestyle. When they are not living a healthy lifestyle, there is a possibility they suffer from liver-related problems. To help you to know about such things, here we are discussing liver fibrosis in detail. Keep reading till the end to find out about it. But before that, we would like to let you know about liver specialists in Jaipur.

Yes, we are talking about Dr. Shankar Dhaka, who has years of experience in the field and provides the best treatment to all individuals dealing with liver fibrosis and other gastric issues. Now let’s discuss what liver fibrosis is and other parameters in detail!

What is Liver Fibrosis?

Liver fibrosis is a condition in which the liver is not functioning properly due to damage to the healthy tissue of the liver. The damage to the liver is responsible for blocking the flow of blood inside the liver. It is responsible for killing healthy liver cells and causing further damage to the tissues.

Fibrosis is the first stage of liver damage, and with time, the condition grows and leads to the condition of liver cirrhosis. It is among the most serious liver diseases. In this condition, a liver transplant is the only option left.

As per the research, the liver can regenerate itself in humans. But if the liver is damaged, the possibility of healing is not as great as its ability to heal itself.

Stages of Liver Fibrosis:

There are different stages of liver fibrosis and doctors identify the stage based on the damage to the liver. It is also important to understand that the stage of liver fibrosis depends on the person. If a person is living an unhealthy lifestyle and not paying attention to the signs and symptoms of liver fibrosis, there is a possibility they have reached the later stages.

The determination of the stage of liver fibrosis is important because it allows doctors and patients to understand for how long a person needs to be on medication and what doctors can do to prevent it.

Most commonly, there is a scoring system used for liver fibrosis and it is termed the “METAVIR scoring system”.

In this system, a score is given to the activity of the liver. If the fibrosis condition is increasing, the doctors give a particular score and they determine it after biopsy. In a biopsy, they take a tissue sample and further analyze it. The activity grade ranges from A0 to A3.

A0:

It is the score given when there is no activity in the liver and it is working fine.

A1:

This score suggests that there is mild activity and a person needs to take the medication regularly to prevent it from further growing.

A2:

This is the stage where the activity is moderate. Sometimes the condition in this stage is curable and sometimes it is not.

A3:

This is the last activity grade, and it indicates that the condition is serious. If there is a need to go for treatment as soon as possible without any interruption,

The stages of liver Fibrosis lie between F0 and F4 of fibrosis. It is as follows:

F0:

F0 is the condition when there is no fibrosis and there is no need for a person to go for any treatment. They can simply live their lives without any problems.

F1:

This stage indicates that there is portal fibrosis and a person requires treatment as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

F2:

F2 is the state where portal fibrosis develops with a new septum. This indicates that the condition is kept from worsening, and it is important to get the treatment.

F3:

F3 indicates the condition when there are multiple septa with cirrhosis. This indicates that the condition will soon lead to liver cirrhosis.

F4:

This is the last stage and it indicates the liver is completely damaged. The liver fibrosis condition turned out to be liver cirrhosis.

Stage 3 and stage 4 are considered to be among the stages of serious illness, and a patient needs to reach out to the doctor as soon as possible. If they are avoiding the condition, it can lead to some other complications as well.

Symptoms of Liver Fibrosis:

There are so many symptoms that a person experiences when they are dealing with liver fibrosis. First of all, do understand that from mild to moderate, there are no visible symptoms. When the liver disease starts, there are some changes that a person experiences and these include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Blotting issues
  • Vomiting
  • Weakness
  • Sudden weight loss

There is a possibility that some people may experience other symptoms as well. But if they are dealing with jaundice along with loss of appetite and decreased ability to think and make decisions, they need to reach out to the doctor for a diagnosis. When the liver is not working properly, it leads to a lot of problems.

Causes of Liver Fibrosis:

A person needs to understand that liver fibrosis takes place when a person encounters an injury that leads to inflammation of the liver. In this condition, the liver cells get stimulated to heal the wound, and during the healing process, the proteins, including collagen and glycoproteins, build up in the liver. After the repairing and healing are done, the liver cells are not in the state to repair, which again leads to fibrosis.

Along with that, some other causes of fibrosis include:

  • Autoimmune hepatitis
  • Iron overload
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
  • Unhealthy lifestyle
  • Liver infection
  • Viral hepatitis B.
  • Hepatitis C
  • Alcoholic liver disease

Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis:

When a person reaches out to the doctor for the diagnosis of liver disease, there are certain tests that a doctor considers, and these includes:

Liver Biopsy:

Liver biopsy is a process in which doctors collect a sample from the deceased liver and send it for further diagnosis. This is a surgical process in which doctors extract the tissue sample. After collecting the sample, doctors do check for fibrosis in the tissue sample.

Transient Elastography:

Transient electrography is another option for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. It is also a part of the imaging test. In this test, doctors check the hardness of the liver. When liver fibrosis conditions occur, the liver becomes hard, and doctors will be able to detect it during the test. Low-frequency sound waves are being considered to perform this test. If the doctor has any doubts about the condition, they will proceed with other diagnostic techniques.

Non-Surgical Test:

There is a possibility that when physical symptoms appear, some non-surgical tests are considered, and this includes blood tests. In this blood test, they check out for liver functioning and other parameters. If the parameters are fluctuating, they will be able to conclude the condition of the liver and suggest to the patient what they can do and what they cannot.

Treatment options for Liver Fibrosis:

The treatment option for liver fibrosis depends on the cause. If the condition of fibrosis took place due to any particular disease, the course of medication is different. But if it happens due to any injury or other lifestyle change, the treatment will be different.

It is also important for patients to understand that they are changing their diet and reducing their weight as well. As these two parameters are responsible for worsening the condition,

In case the medications are not helpful then doctors move ahead with the liver transplant and other surgical processes available. Doctors do not let a patient be in a condition where they are not able to adjust to things properly.

This was all about liver fibrosis and we hope right now you are also aware of it. In case there is any problem arising with your liver and you are experiencing any change in your body reach out to the doctor and get the treatment right away. For sure after approaching the best doctor around you will be able to get the treatment and no problem will take place at all!

Also Read This on Topic “Liver Disease”

Liver Pain: जानिए लिवर में दर्द के कारण!

Liver Cirrhosis: लिवर सिरॉसिस क्या है?