Since the liver is a 'silent organ', the initial signs of cirrhosis are often not felt, and the disease develops secretly for a long time. Unfortunately, patients often consult us at the very late stage of the disease. Meanwhile, diagnosing liver cirrhosis at the pre-fibrosis stage and starting treatment early allows for more effective results.
Initial signs of cirrhosis and timely diagnosis
The stage preceding liver cirrhosis covers a long path. Although patients sometimes know that they have been suffering from hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or diabetes mellitus for a long time, they consult a doctor late. If cirrhosis is not identified and diagnosed in a timely manner, serious complications may arise:
- Esophageal variceal bleeding: It manifests as the sudden appearance of a large amount of blood from the oral cavity in a patient who had no complaints.
- Encephalopathy: During this complication arising against the background of liver diseases, patients are often mistakenly taken to a neuropathologist for treatment. However, in this case, the cause of encephalopathy must be clarified first of all.
Main signs of encephalopathy
Encephalopathy, which is a severe complication of liver cirrhosis, manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- Tendency to drowsiness (insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day, or being sleepy both at night and during the day);
- A literate and educated person using sentences that are not characteristic of them;
- Looking at one's own child and failing to recognize them;
- Loss of general orientation (for example, being unable to determine the date or stating that water is not running despite the tap being open).
It is extremely important that patients consult a doctor in a timely manner and receive the correct diagnosis without experiencing these severe stages.