Liver Cirrhosis Treatment in India
What is Liver Cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis is the severe scarring of the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. The scarring is often caused by excessive consumption of alcohol or viral infections and every time your liver is injured; it tries to repair itself. As cirrhosis progresses, more and more scar tissue will form making it difficult for the liver to function. A scarred liver cannot function properly and the liver damage done by cirrhosis generally cannot be undone. Advanced cirrhosis is life-threatening, but if it is diagnosed early and the cause is treated, further damage can be limited but rarely reversed. The scar tissue reduces the liver’s ability to carry out vital functions of the liver which are:
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- Blood clotting
- Cleansing the blood from toxins
- Digesting food and beverages
- Fighting infection
- Metabolizing medications and other substances
- Producing bile for digestion of food
- Producing proteins, enzymes, and healthy blood
- Removing waste
- Storing vitamins, minerals and energy
How does Liver Cirrhosis Develop?
The liver is normally able to regenerate damaged cells but when a person daily consumes large amounts of alcohol, the liver cannot take it. Cirrhosis causes the liver to shrink and harden. This makes it difficult for nutrient-rich blood to flow through the portal vein into the liver. The portal vein carries blood from the digestive organs into the liver. The pressure in the portal vein rises if blood cannot pass into the liver. This will result in a serious condition called portal hypertension, in which the vein develops high blood pressure. The consequence of portal hypertension is that this high-pressure system causes a backup leading to esophageal varices (like varicose veins), which could burst and bleed.
What are the Liver Cirrhosis Symptoms?
Cirrhosis has no signs or symptoms until liver damage is extensive, but when signs and symptoms do occur they include the following:
- Fatigue
- Easily bleeding or bruising
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Swelling in the legs, feet or ankles (edema)
- Weight loss
- Itchy skin
- Jaundice (yellow discolouration in the skin and eyes)
- Fluid accumulation in your abdomen (ascites)
- Spider Like blood vessels on your skin
- Redness in the palms of the hands
- For women, absence or loss of periods not related to menopause
- For men, loss of sex drive, breast enlargement (gynecomastia) or testicular atrophy
- Confusion, drowsiness and slurred speech (hepatic encephalopathy)
- Vomiting blood
- Severe muscle cramps
- Brownish urine
- Enlarged spleen
What are the Treatment Options for Liver Cirrhosis?
The scar tissue which forms in the liver due to cirrhosis of the liver is permanent. The goal of the treatment is to stop or slow the progress of damage to the liver and minimize and quickly treat any complications.
Treatment for cirrhosis varies based on how it was caused and how far the disorder has progressed. Some treatments that your doctor might prescribe include:
- Controlling pressure in the portal vein (for portal hypertension): Blood can “back up” in the portal vein that supplies the liver with blood, causing high blood pressure in the portal vein. Drugs are prescribed to control the increasing pressure in other blood vessels. The aim is to prevent severe bleeding. Signs of bleeding can be detected via an endoscopy.
- Stop drinking (if the cirrhosis is caused by alcohol)
- Intravenous antibiotics can treat peritonitis which occurs with ascites.
- Hemodialysis (purification of blood using a dialysis machine of those in kidney failure)
- Lactulose and a low protein diet (to treat encephalopathy)
- The patient could be prescribed medications to control liver cell damage caused by hepatitis B or C.
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If the patient vomits blood or passes bloody stools, then urgent medical attention is required because they have esophageal varices (A condition where the veins in the esophagus get enlarged). The following procedures may help in such cases:
- Banding: A small band is placed around the base of the varices to control bleeding from esophageal varices.
- Injection sclerotherapy: After an endoscopy, a substance is injected into the varices, which triggers a blood clot and scar tissue to form. This helps stem the bleeding.
- A Sengstaken-Blakemore tube with a balloon: If endoscopy does not stop the bleeding, the tube goes to the patient’s throat and into their stomach. The balloon is inflated. This puts pressure on the varices and stops the bleeding.
- Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunt (TIPSS): If the therapies mentioned above do not stem the bleeding, a metal tube is passed across the liver joining the portal and hepatic veins, creating a new route for the blood to flow through thus reducing the pressure that was causing the varices.
Liver transplantation is the last option when other treatments fail.
Living with cirrhosis (do’s and don’ts)
Although cirrhosis implies irreversible damage to the liver, a person with early cirrhosis (stage Child’s A or early Child’s B) can have several years of fairly active life provided appropriate treatment is given by liver specialists. Advanced or Child’s C Cirrhosis on the other hand, clearly dictates the need for a liver transplant for which expert opinion should be sought.
Some do’s
Intial detailed evaluation with a liver specialist is essential to grade the disease and chalk out appropriate therapy.
- Regular liver function tests and follow up with your specialist is necessary every 1-3 months in early cirrhosis and 1-4 weeks in advanced cirrhosis. The exact interval between check ups will be decided by your liver physician depending upon your symptoms and severity of disease.
- Nutritious diet is essential for optimal liver function in the presence of chronic liver disease. Contrary to popular belief, the digestion remains normal until very late stages of liver disease except in the presence of severe jaundice. Hence, the need for complete avoidance of fatty food and proteins in all forms of liver disease is a myth. This is not only unnecessary in most cases, but also harmful since it results in malnutrition, weight loss and faster deterioration in health.
- In Hepatitis B induced cirrhosis, Lamivudine treatment may be considered in consultation with the liver specialist if HBV DNA test is positive
- In early cirrhosis due to Hepatitis C, treatment with Interferon-alpha and ribavirin may be useful in consultation with your liver physician.
Some don’ts
Alcohol must be avoided at all costs in alcohol-induced cirrhosis and restricted in all other forms of cirrhosis, especially Hepatitis C.
- Excessive physical activity should be avoided especially in virus related cirrhosis.
- At the same time, forced bed rest should be avoided and a reasonable degree of mobility and activity should be maintained.
- Contact sports should be avoided in advanced stages of cirrhosis due to poor clotting and a bleeding tendency.
- Self-medication is dangerous since the liver is suboptimal and drugs will have much more prolonged effects and may harm the already damaged liver.
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Max Hospital Saket
Number of beds: 500
ICU Beds: 267
Airport Distance: 13 KM
Brief About:
- Max Super Speciality Hospital at Saket is one of the topmost healthcare service
- Providers in India. The multi-super speciality hospital has a capacity of over 500 beds, 250 functional beds. It is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, advanced technologies.
- With the help of over 300 leading specialist Doctors, strong nursing staff, and state-of-the-art innovative medical tools.
Fortis Memorial Research Institute
Number of beds: 1000
ICU Beds: 298
Airport Distance: 17 KMs
Brief About:
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute was established in 2001.
- It is an outstanding multi-speciality quaternary care hospital,having the top-notch infrastructure, advanced equipment, highly qualified and experienced medical professionals and super sub-specialists.
- Fortis Hosptial Gurgaon is an advanced centre of excellence in Robotic Surgery, Neurosciences, Oncology, Renal Sciences, BMT, Organ Transplants, Orthopaedics, Cardiac Sciences and Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Artemis Hospital Gurgaon
Number of beds: 600
ICU Beds: 185
Airport Distance: 19 Km
Brief About:
- Artemis Hospital, established in 2007, spread across 9 acres, is a 600plus bed; state-of-the-art multi-speciality hospital located in Gurgaon, India.
- Artemis Hospital is the first JCI and NABH accredited hospital in Gurgaon.
- Designed as one of the most advanced hospitals in India, Artemis provides a depth of expertise in the spectrum of advanced medical & surgical interventions, a comprehensive mix of inpatient and outpatient services.
Manipal Hospital Dwarka
Number of beds: 380
ICU Beds: 118
Airport Distance: 8 Km
About Hospital:
- Manipal Hospital Dwarka is a prominent multi-speciality and quaternary care providing hospital with first-rate healthcare services and integrated facilities.
- The world-class medical centre is a part of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), one of India’s forerunner healthcare groups.
- The group started with one flagship hospital in 1991 and now has bloomed into a network of 15 hospitals with a significant presence in Malaysia.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital
No. of beds: 900
ICU Beds: 262
Airport: 20kms
About Hospital:
- Indraprastha Apollo Hospital is a flagship hospital of India’s foremost healthcare groups,the Apollo Group. It is a highly renowned multi-speciality facility that offers tertiary and quaternary care services to domestic and international patients.
- The 900 bedded hospital is outfitted with the most modern technology for diagnostics as well as therapeutic purposes.
- A team of highly trained medical professionals work under all the 52 specialities at the hospital.
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We offers these Services
- Providing a doctor’s opinion and proper quotation
- Selecting the best hospital and doctor as per your case
- Arranging a call with the doctor (if the case required)
- Visa assistance, Providing Visa Invitation Letter (VIL)
- Providing full guidance how to get Visa from your country
- Providing total cost including treatment, air tickets, accommodation, and food
- Assitance to book flight ticket from your country
- Arranging airport pick up/ drop
- Providing professional language interpreter
- Booking accommodation and guest house as per your budget/ prefrence
- Providing help in money exchanging
- Providing local sim card
- Arranging video consultation with specialist doctor if case requires
Medanta The Medicity Hospital
Number of beds: 1250
ICU Beds: 300
Airport Distance: 18 KMs
Brief About:
- Medanta – The Medicity is amongst India’s largest and most renowned multi-super speciality healthcare centre with 1250 beds, 29 super speciality units and more than 800 accomplished doctors.
- Supported by state-of-art infrastructure, all the departments in the hospital are fully equipped with cutting-edge technology, modular Operation Theatre and modernized monitoring systems in ICUs.
- The panel of doctors from Medanta, headed by A.S.Soin performed the first successful intestinal transplant in India.
BLK-Max Hospital
Number of beds: 700
ICU Beds: 175
Airport Distance: 13 Km
Brief About:
- BLK Super Speciality Hospital was established by Dr. B.L. Kapur in 1959. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
- BLK Super Speciality Hospital was established by Dr. B.L. Kapur in 1959. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
- BLK has a unique combination of the best in class technology, put to use by the best names in the professional circles to ensure world-class health care to all patients.
Dr. Rela Institute and Medical Centre
Number of beds: 450
ICU Beds: 130
Airport Distance: 8 KMs
About Hospital:
- Dr. Rela Institute & Medical Centre was established under the leadership of Prof. Mohamed Rela, a world-renowned surgeon in the field of Liver Surgery and Transplantation.
- Dr. Rela made a world-record by performing a Liver Transplantation on a 5-day old baby and made his name in the Guinness Book of Records.
- Dr. Mohamed Rela, who has performed more than 4000 liver transplant surgeries.
Manipal Hospital Bangalore
Number of beds: 600
ICU Beds: 124
Airport Distance: 18 KMs
About Hospital:
- Established in the year 1991. Manipal Hospital HAL Airport Road is a multi-specialty hospital.
- The hospital has 600 in-patient beds. The NABH and NABL accredited facility is among the top 10 multispecialty hospitals in India.
- It is prominent for making use of high tech equipment and systems like IBM Watson technology for oncology patients.
Aster CMI Hospital Bangalore
Number of beds: 500
ICU Beds: 50
Airport Distance: 27 KMs
About Hospital:
- Aster CMI hospital was established in 2014, from a single medical centre to a performance driven healthcare enterprise, spread across 320 establishments in 9 countries.
- Aster CMI hospital is one of the top hospitals in Bangalore, with serene ambience, spacious interiors, advanced medical facilities.
- Aster CMI is one of the best multispecialty hospitals in Bangalore as per the Times of India (TOI) All India Multispecialty Ranking Survey.
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital
Number of beds: 750
ICU Beds: 180
Airport Distance: 8 KMs
About Hospital:
- Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is a top-class multi-specialty tertiary care hospital with a capacity of 750 inpatient beds.
- The hospital has a large number of ICU beds in Mumbai, with 180 ICU beds and 240 independent clinics,having the capacity to deal with over 9,000 outpatient consultations every day.
- The hospital prides itself for having a Full Time Specialist System which ensures easy access and comprehensive use of resources to various specialists .
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We offers these Services
- Providing a doctor’s opinion and proper quotation
- Selecting the best hospital and doctor as per your case
- Arranging a call with the doctor (if the case required)
- Visa assistance, Providing Visa Invitation Letter (VIL)
- Providing full guidance how to get Visa from your country
- Providing total cost including treatment, air tickets, accommodation, and food
- Assitance to book flight ticket from your country
- Arranging airport pick up/ drop
- Providing professional language interpreter
- Booking accommodation and guest house as per your budget/ prefrence
- Providing help in money exchanging
- Providing local sim card
- Arranging video consultation with specialist doctor if case requires
