What are the causes of liver cirrhosis or cancer?

Question

Alcohol is largely to blame for liver cirrhosis but my friend hasn't really abused it yet he got the ailment. What might have caused it besides alcohol abuse? He's skin and bones right now and deteriorating fast. Please add curative suggestions if any. His doctor sent him home as a hopeless case so i'm appealing for any other remedies. Thank you

Answer 1

I'm going through the same thing with my husband. He just came home Tuesday night and I have hospice helping out. He is already getting to where he can't walk hardly. People keep talking about a liver transplant but my doc. said my husband wasn't a candidate because he has cancer. But my husband drank alot when he was younger. He has been on alot of pain medicines. Along with meds for blood pressure and cholesterol. I think the cholesterol drugs caused this cirrohsis. He was taking to much at one time but thats what the doctor told him and it started scarring his liver. And later they changed it and he started getting jaundice and thats how they found the cancer. He also has blood clots from his heart to his liver. His liver isn't functioning right along with his kidneys. I wish you luck with your friend.

Answer 2

Cirrhosis is when healthy liver cells is replaced by scar tissue. This occurs from many years of inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) which eventually causes the liver cells to die and scar tissue to form. The only cure for cirrhosis is a liver transplant, but it is a very slow progressive disease that can take many years before total liver failure might occur. It all depends on what is causing all the inflammation in the first place and whether or not you can stop the inflammation. If alcohol is causing it, then the person must stop drinking, but there are quite a number of medical conditions that can cause cirrhosis. It is completely different from cancer since there are no tumors and nothing can spread to other organs. It is just scar tissue in the liver, nothing else. I had cirrhosis and a liver transplant. My cirrhosis never caused me any pain, but it can in some people. Malignant cancer that spreads is typically painful as it gets worse. The cancer grows out of control and takes over everything. I would say that cancer is more painful, but cirrhosis has problems too. The body will fill with fluid that needs drained from time to time. Blood does not clot right and internal bleeding is always a risk. High ammonia levels can cause confusion and behavior changes. Both cancer and cirrhosis are bad when it's near the end, but for different reasons. There are strong drugs that can help cancer pain very much. My brother died a year ago from cancer that had spread everywhere including his liver. He died a peaceful death because they were able to control his pain with drugs. The risk of getting cancer is higher than someone who does not drink according to the statistics. Of course, we all know that the risk of getting cirrhosis greatly increases if the person is abusing alcohol and they have done it for many years. The experts say that 10 years of heavy drinking can cause cirrhosis to form, but that can vary quite a bit depending on a number of factors such as how much they drink, what they drink, how their body handles alcohol, underlying medical condition, medical history, genetics, etc.

Answer 3

Cirrhosis of the liver is caused by drinkingn or sometimes by medications. Cancer of the liver is often secondary to another cancer. If it is cancer your friend needs more information. Have your friend as the doctor about that.

Is it cirrhosis or is it Hepatitis? Or Cancer? They all have a different etiology

There are many kinds of hepititis, one kind sexually transmitted,
other kinds are viral or bacterial. Then there is non-specific hepatitis with is usually cause unknown, but often an infection from the gal bladder can spread to the liver. Some liver problems are just scar tissue from past infection.

Your Friend needs to learn exactly what sort of liver problems he is having.

A "hopeless case" as you described might make him a candidate for a liver transplant.

Answer 4

Hepatitis C, a sexually transmitted disease, is often initially asymptomatic. Hepatitis C causes cirrhosis if the infected person drinks alcholic beverages in quantities that would not harm an uninfected person. It also causes liver cancer.

Your friend definitely should not drink any alcohol for the rest of his life. Also, he might ask his doctor about Interferon injections which strengthen the body's immune system. A liver transplant is probably the best long term solution.

God bless.

Answer 5

Excessive use of pain killers can cause cirrhosis as can hepatitis C.

You don't mention the age of your friend. If he is young I am amazed he was not placed on a list for liver.

He must have other health problems or surely he would be on the list.

Very sorry for your friend and it is good that he has you to care about him.

Answer 6

i thought alchol was the major cause of liver damage and if his doctor sent him home to die only thing i can recomend is try to get a liver transplant.

Answer 7

hepitites