Cirrhosis is the most common chronic disease. Once it worsens, the liver function of cirrhosis patients will gradually deteriorate, leading to death. Therefore, early prevention and treatment of cirrhosis is very important! Does it have anything to do with diet? What are the common factors that induce cirrhosis?
[Factors that induce cirrhosis]
1. Cirrhosis after hepatitis:
This mainly refers to the development of viral hepatitis to the late stage, resulting in cirrhosis. This is the most important cause of cirrhosis in China. Except for hepatitis A and E, which do not develop into cirrhosis, other types of hepatitis may potentially develop into cirrhosis.
2. Toxic cirrhosis:
This mainly refers to the long-term exposure to toxic chemicals or physical stimuli in daily life and work, causing damage to the liver. Another situation is caused by long-term consumption of moldy and unhealthy diet.
3. Parasitic cirrhosis:
This refers to the presence of schistosomes or liver flukes in the human body. Their eggs gradually accumulate in the liver with the portal blood flow, eventually causing thrombosis in the small branches of the portal vein. This is also one of the causes of cirrhosis, but in recent years, with the improvement of sanitary conditions, this condition is rarely seen.
4. Alcoholic cirrhosis:
This is the most important cause of high incidence of cirrhosis in Western countries. The liver is the only place where alcohol is metabolized. When people consume large amounts of alcohol for weeks or even months, most of them may develop fatty liver or alcoholic hepatitis.
[Early symptoms]
1. Loss of appetite is the most common symptom, sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. This is mainly due to congestion and disorder of secretion and absorption functions in the gastrointestinal tract, and in the late stage, ascites formation, gastrointestinal bleeding, and liver failure will become more severe.
2. Weight loss is a common symptom, mainly due to decreased appetite, insufficient food intake, digestive and absorption disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, and decreased synthesis of albumin in the body.
3. Fatigue is also one of the early symptoms, ranging from mild fatigue to severe fatigue, consistent with the activity of liver disease.
4. Abdominal pain can be caused by perihepatitis, progressive necrosis of liver cells, perihepatitis, portal vein thrombosis and/or portal phlebitis, etc. Abdominal pain is more common in macronodular cirrhosis, accounting for about 60% to 80%. The pain is mostly in the upper abdomen, often paroxysmal, and sometimes crampy. Abdominal pain can also be caused by concomitant peptic ulcers, biliary diseases, intestinal infections, etc. Fever, jaundice, and pain in the liver area that occur at the same time are often related to the liver disease itself.
5. Diarrhea is quite common and is mostly caused by edema of the intestinal wall, malabsorption of the intestine (mainly fat), deficiency of niacin, and parasitic infections.
6. Bleeding: Impaired liver function affects the synthesis of prothrombin and other coagulation factors, and splenic hyperfunction leads to a decrease in platelets, so gum bleeding, nasal bleeding, skin and mucous membrane purpura or bleeding, hematemesis, and melena may occur, and women often have excessive menstruation.
[Dietary treatment methods for cirrhosis]
1. Abstain from alcohol
Experts emphasize that in the three major points of early prevention and treatment of cirrhosis, whether it is patients or individuals at high risk of this disease, they should stay away from alcohol. This is mainly because the liver is the only place where alcohol is metabolized and decomposed. Large amounts of alcohol can directly damage the liver. After alcohol enters the body, it needs to be decomposed by the liver. In this process, coenzyme I is transformed into reduced coenzyme I, causing central necrosis and fibrosis of liver cells in the central zone of liver lobules due to hypoxia.
2. Reasonable use of protein. The liver is the place where proteins are synthesized, and the liver synthesizes 11-14 grams of albumin every day. When cirrhosis occurs, the liver cannot synthesize proteins well. At this time, it is necessary to arrange the intake of proteins reasonably to avoid the occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy. Various protein foods from different sources can be selected. To make patients better adapt, they can eat a diet based on casein, adding cheese to chicken, fish, lean meat, and eggs in appropriate amounts every day to balance protein intake.
3. Provide appropriate amount of fat. Some patients are afraid of eating fat after developing cirrhosis, but fat should not be restricted too strictly. Due to pancreatic insufficiency during cirrhosis, reduced bile salt excretion, and congestion of lymphatic vessels or liver portal, about half of cirrhotic patients have steatorrhea and poor fat absorption. When the above symptoms occur, the amount of fat should be controlled. However, if the patient does not have the above symptoms and can tolerate fats in food, fat should not be restricted too strictly in order to increase calorie intake. For patients with biliary cirrhosis, a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet should be chosen.
4. Provide sufficient carbohydrates. Adequate intake of carbohydrates can replenish abundant hepatic glycogen reserves, prevent liver cell damage from toxins, and daily intake of starch foods should be 350 grams to 450 grams.
5. Restrict water and sodium in the diet. When patients have edema or mild ascites, they should follow a low-salt diet, with a daily salt intake not exceeding 3 grams; when severe edema occurs, a salt-free diet should be used, and the sodium intake should be restricted to about 500 milligrams. Foods with high sodium content, such as alkaline when steaming steamed buns, should be avoided and fresh yeast can be used instead, or salt-free bread can be eaten. Instant noodles contain a relatively high amount of sodium and should not be consumed. In addition, various pickles and sauerkraut contain a lot of sodium, which should be restricted for cirrhosis patients. The main component of monosodium glutamate in seasonings will increase the burden of water and sodium metabolism in the liver.
