In France, 200,000 people are affected by cirrhosis, according to National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). It is a serious liver disease characterized by irreversible liver damage. Once the patient is affected, it is always permanent.
Cirrhosis: Common symptoms delay diagnosis
Liver cirrhosis can progress or remain stable, especially if it is treated early. But the diagnosis of pathology is often late, because it is silent. Which means it doesn’t cause pain or specific symptoms. Indeed, according to MSD Manual“About a third of people never develop symptoms“
Patients who develop it begin with non-specific symptoms, which can also delay diagnosis. About it:
- muscle spasms;
- tiredness
- loss of weight and/or appetite;
- nausea and/or vomiting;
- A feeling of general malaise.
If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, see your GP to discuss them.
Signs that liver cirrhosis is progressing
The risk, if cirrhosis is not detected early, is that the disease will progress and get worse. In this case, according to Health insuranceOther symptoms appear:
- bloody vomit;
- blood in the stool or, on the contrary, very clear, large, soft and very smelly stool;
- enlarged abdomen;
- Jaundice: Yellow color of the whites of the eyes and skin. In addition, the urine is dark;
- a Hippocraticism Digital: This is it Extension of the tips of the fingers or toes. Additionally, the angle at the base of the nail has changed;
- Rash: Small pimples or large patches that can range in color from red to purple;
- itching;
- Lumps of fat on the body or more especially on the eyelids.
If the cirrhosis is due to excessive alcohol consumption or the person has a chronic liver disorder, he or she may also develop other symptoms such as muscle atrophy, contracture of the tendons of the hands, redness of the palms of the hands, small blood. Spider web-like vessels on the skin, enlargement of the salivary glands in the cheeks or, for men, a decrease in the size of the testicles.
When these specific symptoms are present, you should contact your doctor immediately. If he suspects cirrhosis, he will refer you to a hepato-gastroenterologist, who will establish the diagnosis with a biopsy of liver cells.
