Liver cirrhosis is a chronic disease of the liver, and it has recurring symptoms. Cirrhosis is very harmful to the liver. In the late stage, there is the possibility of cancer, and infection problems are prone to occur. Patients with liver cirrhosis need to actively cooperate with treatment. So what are the treatments for liver cirrhosis? What should patients with liver cirrhosis pay attention to in their diet?
1. How to treat liver cirrhosis
1. Remove the causative factors. For liver cirrhosis with a clear cause, the cause should be eliminated:
1. Alcoholic Patients with cirrhosis must absolutely abstain from alcohol. People with liver cirrhosis due to other causes should also avoid alcohol. People with a history of schistosomiasis infection should be treated with anti-schistosomiasis. For patients with congenital liver diseases, such as hepatolenticular degeneration, the main thing is to be more vigilant and provide identification, otherwise it is easy to misdiagnose, causing the patient to not receive corresponding treatment and delaying the disease.
2. Hepatitis B infection is the main cause of liver cirrhosis in my country. For those with positive hepatitis B markers and quantitative hepatitis B virus in the blood, anti-hepatitis B virus treatment will be given as appropriate.
2. General supportive therapy
Patients with cirrhosis often have poor systemic nutritional status. The purpose of supportive therapy is to restore the systemic condition and provide the liver with sufficient nutrients to facilitate the repair and regeneration of liver cells.
1. Rest: Liver cirrhosis in the compensatory stage can work or labor appropriately, but attention should be paid to the balance between work and rest. In the decompensated stage of liver cirrhosis, people should stop working, rest or even basically stay in bed to reduce the body's demand for liver function. The recovery period allows for appropriate return to work.
2. Diet: In principle, the diet of patients with liver cirrhosis should be high in calories, sufficient protein, limited sodium intake, and sufficient vitamins.
Liver cirrhosis is a chronic wasting disease, so calories must be supplied adequately. The source of calories is mainly sugar. Sugar is decomposed into glucose in the intestine and absorbed, and becomes glycogen in the liver, which is beneficial to liver cell regeneration and prevents damage to liver parenchyma by toxic substances. For severe cases, enteral nutrition preparations can be used. These preparations are based on the principle of comprehensive and balanced nutritional formulas, and the dosage is adjusted according to the condition to avoid excessive protein and ammonia intake. For those who cannot eat, glucose solution can be intravenously dripped with an appropriate amount of insulin and potassium chloride. or give intravenous nutrition.
A high-protein diet is appropriate with 1-1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. You can eat lean meat, fish, chicken, soy products and dairy, and the food should contain less animal fat. It is advisable to eat vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, and take oral multivitamin preparations if necessary. Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited. For those with precursor symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy, protein intake should be limited. People with esophageal varices should avoid hard and rough foods to avoid damaging the esophageal mucosa and causing bleeding. People who are emaciated should increase their weight appropriately, but they should not be too obese or gain weight too quickly to avoid promoting fatty liver.
Limit sodium intake: Patients with liver cirrhosis should eat a low-salt diet, especially those with ascites should limit sodium intake.
3. Treatment of cirrhosis and ascites
Patients often feel abdominal discomfort when cirrhosis and ascites occur, which may easily lead to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, lead to water and electrolyte disorders, and accumulation of large amounts of ascites. Complicated hepatorenal syndrome. Therefore, treatment and water reduction are necessary.
1. General treatment: bed rest and low-salt diet should be given. Limit water intake.
2. Application of diuretics: Diuretics include spironolactone, triamterene, thiazide diuretics, furosemide, etc. When using diuretics, attention should be paid to: (1) Do not take large amounts, quickly, or hastily hope for success. Since the maximum daily absorption rate of ascites is 700-930ml, large-scale diuresis exceeding this limit will inevitably lead to a decrease in circulating blood volume, which is unfavorable to the patient. Therefore, diuresis should be started with medium or small doses. (2) The diuretic dose should be individualized because each patient has a different diuretic response. (3) In order to prevent electrolyte imbalance, especially the occurrence of hypokalemia, it is advisable to use a combination of drugs, that is, a combination of potassium-excreting diuretics and potassium-sparing diuretics. Thiazides and loop diuretics should be used intermittently, on for 4-5 days and off for 2-3 days.
4. Stem cell treatment of liver cirrhosis
Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the functions of multi-directional differentiation, massive proliferation and immune regulation.
Research shows that mesenchymal stem cells can promote liver regeneration, nourish and repair damaged liver cells, and restore their functions. To a certain extent, it can relieve patients' uncomfortable symptoms and improve liver function and patient prognosis. It opens up a new way for the treatment of decompensated cirrhosis. Stem cell transplantation has become an important method to treat cirrhosis and liver failure.
1. Mesenchymal stem cells nourish, repair damaged liver cells, and restore their functions
Mesenchymal stem cells secrete various biological factors such as anti-apoptotic factors and anti-inflammatory factors. Active molecules promote liver regeneration, inhibit hepatocyte apoptosis, resist fibrosis, and delay gallbladder ligation and carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis.
2. Stem cells differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells
Mesenchymal stem cells transplanted into the body enter the liver with the blood flow, pass through the vascular endothelial gap and enter the liver tissue. The stem cells are localized Differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells under the stimulation of liver injury microenvironment.
3. Mesenchymal stem cells have the function of regulating immunity in both directions
Mesenchymal stem cells themselves have low immunogenicity and almost no rejection reaction. They also regulate immunity in two directions to achieve It has a balancing effect and has a good therapeutic effect on autoimmune diseases.
As with other diseases, early treatment is crucial for recovery from cirrhosis. Once liver cirrhosis is diagnosed, go to the hospital as soon as possible to develop a reasonable and suitable treatment plan. To avoid causing greater harm to the body.
2. Dietary precautions for liver cirrhosis
1. Eat protein reasonably
The liver is the place where protein is synthesized. Albumin is synthesized by the liver at a rate of 11 to 14 hours every day. gram. When cirrhosis occurs, the liver cannot synthesize protein well. At this time, it is necessary to arrange protein intake reasonably to prevent the occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy. You can choose protein foods from a variety of sources. In order for the patient to adapt better, cheese can be mixed with an appropriate amount of chicken, fish, lean meat, and eggs, and a reasonable and appropriate amount of protein should be eaten every day.
2. It is forbidden to drink alcohol
Alcohol is mainly metabolized by the liver and excreted from the body. Drinking alcohol puts a strain on an already weakened liver. Therefore, it is absolutely forbidden to drink all alcoholic beverages, and avoid irritating foods such as chili peppers, mustard, etc., as well as foods with added salt and MSG.
3. Supply an appropriate amount of fat
Some patients are afraid of eating fat after suffering from liver cirrhosis. In fact, fat should not be restricted too strictly. Due to pancreatic insufficiency, reduced bile secretion, congestion of lymphatic vessels or portal liver in cirrhosis, nearly half of patients with cirrhosis develop steatorrhea and malabsorption of fat. When the above symptoms occur, fat mass should be controlled. However, if the patient does not have the above symptoms and can adapt to the fat in food, it is not easy to restrict fat too strictly in order to increase calories. If you have biliary cirrhosis, use a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
4. Limit water and sodium in the diet
Patients with edema or mild ascites should be given a low-salt diet, with a daily salt intake of no more than 3 grams; In severe edema, a salt-free diet is recommended, and sodium should be limited to about 500 mg. Avoid foods with high sodium content. For example, do not use alkali when steaming steamed buns. Instead, use fresh yeast to make dough, or eat unsalted bread. Noodles contain a lot of sodium and should not be eaten. Eat less or no pickles, and pay attention to cooking methods. Add condiments and salt after the vegetables are cooked. Daily water intake should be limited to 1000ml to 1500ml.
5. Eat more foods rich in zinc and magnesium
Patients with liver cirrhosis generally have lower blood zinc levels, increased urinary zinc excretion, and reduced zinc content in liver cells. , when drinking alcohol, blood zinc levels will continue to decrease. Drinking should be strictly prohibited, and foods rich in zinc such as lean pork, beef, eggs, and fish should be consumed appropriately. To prevent magnesium ion deficiency, eat more green leafy vegetables, peas, dairy products and cereals.
6. Supplement dietary fiber
Dietary fiber can reduce intestinal ammonia production, and can also be choleretic and laxative. However, those with esophageal varices should avoid the intake of crude fiber foods (such as celery, leeks, soybean sprouts, etc.) to prevent venous rupture and bleeding.
Vegetables are mainly leafy, melons, and nightshades, which should be chopped and boiled when eaten; fruits should be made into puree or juice.
7. Increase vitamins and minerals
Liver cirrhosis is often caused by a lack of various trace elements and vitamins, and these substances are often involved in the repair function of liver cells. You need to pay attention to the daily intake. Eat foods rich in zinc such as lean pork, beef, eggs, fish and foods rich in magnesium such as green leafy vegetables, dairy products and cereals.
8. Low-salt diet
Patients with liver cirrhosis should usually adopt a low-salt diet, and the daily salt consumption should not exceed 6 grams; if edema and mild ascites occur, the salt consumption should not exceed 6 grams. More than 2 grams; severe edema, a salt-free diet is recommended.
9. Scientific cooking
The principle is to eat small amounts and frequent meals. Use diversified cooking methods (boiling, boiling, boiling, stewing, stewing, steaming), avoid spicy and irritating foods, and mainly eat soft and semi-liquid foods that are easy to digest and produce less gas. Avoid all raw, hard, and crisp foods. , rough food, if upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurs, you should fast.