Contents:
- Medical Video: From Cirrhosis to a Hepatitis C Cure | William's Story
- Equally chronic liver disease
- Difference between hepatitis and cirrhosis
- Which liver disease is more dangerous?
Medical Video: From Cirrhosis to a Hepatitis C Cure | William's Story
Both hepatitis and cirrhosis are classified as chronic liver diseases that can interfere with one's health. Although both are diseases that attack the liver, but of course both are different. Then, what are the differences from hepatitis and cirrhosis? Which is more dangerous? Check out the answer here.
Equally chronic liver disease
Hepatitis and cirrhosis both cause the liver to become inflamed and eventually damaged. In fact, both types of this disease can cause bad complications, such as causing permanent injury to the liver or even liver cancer.
Of the causes, the two diseases are almost similar. Hepatitis and cirrhosis, both of which can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption or use of drinking drugs in the long term.
Judging from the symptoms caused, hepatitis and cirrhosis also have symptoms and signs that are almost similar. What are the symptoms and signs?
- Jaundice. This symptom is characterized by yellowing of several parts of the body. for example, the skin and eyeballs look yellow. If you experience this, it means you are experiencing impaired liver function.
- The surface of the skin feels itchy. This is due to bilirubin substances that enter the bloodstream so that they appear below the surface of the skin. Usually, these symptoms are accompanied by reddish spots.
- Stomach distended due to water buildup. If your stomach suddenly enlarges, even though you don't eat large amounts of food, you may experience buildup of the stomach. This happens liver dysfunction that occurs. Usually, this condition is accompanied by symptoms of difficulty breathing due to fluid accumulating around the abdomen.
- Feet suddenly swollen. This sudden swelling of the feet is also caused by a buildup of fluid around your feet (edema). This shows that the blood flow in your body is disturbed.
- Experience other symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, vomiting blood, feeling tired constantly, even losing consciousness.
Difference between hepatitis and cirrhosis
Almost the same but not the same, the two liver diseases have different chances of recovery. In most cases, hepatitis can be cured. Especially if the condition has been detected early. Whereas cirrhosis is a chronic liver infection which causes the organ to have many wounds everywhere, so it cannot be cured as before.
Because the severity of the two liver diseases is different, the treatment will also be different. In people who suffer from hepatitis, usually enough medication is given and adequate rest. However, this depends on the type of hepatitis that occurs. Meanwhile, people who have experienced cirrhosis, usually undergo treatment through surgery or even a transplant (transplant) liver.
Which liver disease is more dangerous?
Basically, both of these liver diseases can cause complications that are bad for the body, namely liver cancer. However, indeed if someone has hepatitis then the recovery rate is still quite large, depending on the cause of the disease. The term, parts of the liver that have been damaged, can still be saved and normalized again.
Meanwhile, cirrhosis is an end-stage inflammation of the liver that can no longer be restored to its original state. People who experience cirrhosis have a greater risk of developing liver failure or liver cancer, than people with hepatitis. However, take it easy, treatment will still be undertaken to reduce the risk of complications and prevent the liver from getting damaged.
Usually, some types of hepatitis that are not treated and treated properly, will cause the liver to experience cirrhosis. Whereas if cirrhosis of the liver cannot be treated, the last choice made by the medical team is to do a liver transplant.
