Say ni Dok | Alamin kung ano ang mga sintomas at epekto ng cirrhosis of the liver
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00:00 One of the diseases that many of us are suffering from is liver disease.
00:07 It is also known as cirrhosis of the liver.
00:09 That's why this morning, we are joined by Dr. Jose Maria Gonzalez, a gastroenterologist.
00:21 Good morning, Doc.
00:22 Good morning, RSP.
00:26 Dr. Gonzalez.
00:27 So, it's cirrhosis of the liver.
00:29 Good morning, Audrey and Dian.
00:31 Alright, Doc, what is cirrhosis of the liver and what is the common disease of this, Doc?
00:37 Good morning.
00:40 So, cirrhosis of the liver is a condition where the tissue of the liver is replaced by the liver.
00:46 It starts with the inflammation of the liver that lasts long or becomes chronic.
00:52 The liver becomes hard and becomes fibrotic.
00:54 Then, the liver becomes cirrhotic.
00:57 The common disease of this is due to viral hepatitis B or C, drinking alcohol, various medicines, or tobacco.
01:06 Okay, Doc, aside from what you've mentioned, are there other risk factors that increase the possibility of cirrhosis?
01:16 Yes, there are other diseases of cirrhosis such as autoimmune hepatitis, there are other genetic diseases, iron load, etc.
01:26 But the majority of cirrhosis in the Philippines is due to hepatitis B or C, along with tobacco.
01:32 Doc, what are the common symptoms or warning signs that there is a possibility of cirrhosis of an individual?
01:40 Okay, so usually, in our patients, we see that there are complaints of itching all over the body, especially at night.
01:50 There is a redness on the skin or eyes.
01:53 When they sneeze, it becomes red.
01:55 Sometimes, the mouth also gets swollen due to water.
01:59 Some also see blood running down their mouth and their mouth becomes swollen.
02:04 Well, Doc, this is the warning I received when I had a checkup.
02:08 If an individual has a fatty liver, there is a possibility that it will lead to cirrhosis if it is neglected.
02:15 Is this correct, Doc?
02:19 Yes, if the fatty liver is neglected for a long time, for 10 years, and the food we eat does not change, it is possible for it to lead to cirrhosis.
02:30 Okay. Doc, how is cirrhosis diagnosed?
02:35 And what are the common ways of diagnosing this condition?
02:39 Yes.
02:42 Well, in the past, in the 1980s, a biopsy was needed to determine if you have cirrhosis.
02:48 But now, we have advancements to detect cirrhosis, like clinical laboratory imaging.
02:55 In the laboratory values, we can see that the liver function tests are different.
03:01 Our platelets are decreasing.
03:04 In imaging, like CT scan or ultrasound, we can see that the liver becomes nodular.
03:10 We also have more accurate tests, which are called fiber scans, where we can see that we have liver stiffness.
03:18 Well, Doc, of course, we all want our liver to be healthy because it has a huge function in our body.
03:24 But is it possible to reverse or treat cirrhosis?
03:28 And what are the possible options for treating it?
03:32 Are there natural ways?
03:35 Yes.
03:38 When it is still early, we can see that cirrhosis is reversed.
03:42 But when it is long, it becomes irreversible.
03:45 The most important step we can do is to remove the cause of cirrhosis.
03:51 For example, because of drinking alcohol, fat, or medicines,
03:56 when it is stopped, cirrhosis can possibly be reversed.
04:01 There are other steps that can be done.
04:03 Losing weight, eating a healthy, balanced diet,
04:07 which means more vegetables, less beef or pork.
04:11 And there are also medicines that our doctors can prescribe.
04:16 Okay.
04:18 Doc mentioned drinking alcohol.
04:21 Doc, it's holiday season now, right?
04:23 There are a lot of get-together gatherings.
04:26 Some of us are still still beer drinkers.
04:29 What are your advice on how many bottles of alcohol can we drink when there are parties?
04:37 When drinking alcohol, the WHO recommends
04:42 that if you are a man,
04:44 two glasses of alcohol, which is equal to two bottles of beer or two glasses of wine.
04:50 If you are a woman, one bottle of alcohol.
04:54 There.
04:56 We all know the limitations.
05:00 Well, Doc, are there any complications related to cirrhosis?
05:06 Yes.
05:08 Cirrhosis is when our liver is not functioning properly.
05:15 There can be water in the stomach
05:17 which can happen because the body produces more acid.
05:20 Usually, this stops the diet.
05:23 When you reduce the acid in the diet.
05:26 There can also be esophageal viruses
05:29 or large roots in the esophagus
05:32 that can cause bleeding.
05:35 This is the usual patient that we see who is bleeding.
05:39 There are medicines that can lower the blood pressure.
05:43 There are also other patients who are more often sleepy
05:46 or what is called encephalopathy.
05:49 Because the liver is not functioning properly,
05:51 the toxins in the blood increase,
05:53 such as ammonia.
05:54 These are the patients who are more often sleepy.
05:57 The most common complication of cirrhosis is liver cancer
06:02 or what is called hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC.
06:06 Because of this, we recommend screening for cancer
06:10 or otosaurus usually every 6 to 12 months.
06:13 So, we don't want to go into those complications.
06:17 To be more clear, you mentioned the number of bottles or glasses
06:21 that can be obtained in the mail.
06:23 What is that?
06:24 Is it every day, every Sunday, or every month?
06:27 Every morning, noon, or evening.
06:30 That's per day.
06:32 It's every day, once a day.
06:34 Ah, per day.
06:35 Okay.
06:36 Thank you very much for the advice and tips that you gave us, Doc.
06:40 It's not that easy to have a situation like this
06:45 when you have this condition.
06:48 You didn't notice the symptoms of the illness at first.
06:52 The best thing to do is to take care of what you eat and drink.
06:57 As Doc said, you can change your lifestyle if you have this condition.
07:01 You can't just eat vegetables for a day
07:05 and avoid alcohol for a day.
07:07 It's a change of lifestyle to be healthy.
07:10 Thank you very much, Dr. Gonzales,
07:12 for sharing with us the information about this illness.
07:15 Thanks, Doc.