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The liver is the main organ in our body. It is capable of converting drugs
into forms that can be readily eliminated from the body. Given the diversity of
drugs in use today and the complex burden drugs impose upon the liver, it is not
surprising that a broad spectrum of adverse drug's effects on liver functions
and structures has been documented.
Many drugs may affect the liver adversely in more than one way. The effects
range from mild and transient changes in the liver function to complete liver
failure, maybe even resulting in death. Therefore, the use of the following
drugs requires careful monitoring of their effects on the liver during the
entire course of treatment. The damage done to the liver and the loss of liver
cells prevent the liver from functioning normally. Besides playing an important
part in the digestion of food, the liver has a major role in metabolizing drugs
and making proteins, including those that help the blood to clot.
A serious liver disease is cirrhosis. It is the scarring of the liver
involving the formation of fibrous tissue associated with the destruction of the
normal constitution of the organ. It can be the result of long-standing injury,
most commonly due to alcohol in excess. Of course, there are a number of other
important causes. Cirrhosis is a serious condition. Only thirty per cent of
patients will survive five years after its diagnosis. The outlook is worse if
the cause is alcohol and the patient continues to drink.
The rate of cirrhosis in a country is directly related to the average alcohol
consumption in that country. Half of all cases of cirrhosis happening in a
country are due to alcohol excess. A country with a large group of heavy alcohol
drinkers is likely to have more people suffering from cirrhosis.
The symptoms of liver cirrhosis depend on how much damage has occurred to the
liver. In the early stages, there may be no symptoms at all. The disease may be
discovered as a result of an investigation for another illness. As the disease
progresses, weakness, lack of energy, loss of appetite, nausea and weight loss
may develop. In later stages, the liver is struggling to perform all its
functions and some or all of the symptoms may be present. Jaundice, that is, the
yellowing of the skin, is one of the symptoms. The shape and appearance of the
nails may change. They may be more curved and maybe white rather than pink. Skin
changes too. About a quarter of jaundice patients will have darkening of the
skin. Fluid retention is common at some stages in cirrhosis. In the very late
stages of the disease, serious complications may occur. These include vomiting
of blood, either from ulcers in the stomach or from leaking varicose veins in
the lower end. This is serious and requires hospital treatment.
Apart from removing the cause, cirrhosis of the liver cannot be treated. The
approach towards it is, therefore, to deal with it in order to reduce the
complications of the disease. Some of the other approaches are taking water
tablets for the treatment of fluid retention in the legs. A daily dose of
vitamins, mineral supplements and calorie supplements can help to maintain
nutrition. |
