3 questions every cirrhosis sufferer should ask

Cirrhosis is a serious and damaging condition that can only be fought with knowledge. If you or someone you know has cirrhosis, knowing the answers to these questions could help.

• The orderly flow of body fluids is an early casualty of cirrhotic damage.
• In a healthy person, the blood supply circulates through vessels in the liver. In cirrhosis, rigid scar tissue forms on the liver and hinders the blood from passing freely.
• As the blood backs up, the pressure in the supplying vessels increases. This forces plasma out of the blood vessels and into the tissues that surround the abdominal cavity.

• People with cirrhosis often have distinctive abdominal swelling, known as ascites.
• Ascites lower the volume of blood in the vessels throughout the body. When the kidneys register the fall in blood flow, your body releases the hormone aldosterone.
• Far from helping,  aldosterone causes the body to retain sodium, and therefore water. This actually worsens the ascites.
• The whole body becomes puffy and swollen, and the vicious cycle continues.
• Other complications arise as the blood tries to bypass the obstruction in the liver. This increases blood flow to neighbouring organs, such as the veins of the esophagus.
• Some cirrhotic patients suffer from varices (varicose veins) in the esophagus, which can rupture and cause severe bleeding.

• People with cirrhosis should eat little salt, especially if ascites is present, and drink about four to six glasses of fluids a day.
• If varices are present in the esophagus, the food should be soft and thoroughly chewed.
• Regular coffee consumption could help older people. A study on aging revealed that coffee helped older people think more quickly, improve their memory and have better reasoning.
• Another study reported that women over 80 with a history of coffee consumption had better performance results on tests of mental function.
• Lifetime coffee consumption has even been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.

While severe, the best weapon against cirrhosis is knowledge. By staying informed and making changes to your diet, you could live with cirrhosis more easily.