Treatment for Cirrhosis Complications
Cirrhosis treatment will also include remedies for complications that occur as a result of cirrhosis. For example, for ascites and edema, the doctor may recommend a low-sodium diet or the use of diuretics, which are drugs that remove fluid from the body. Antibiotics will be prescribed for infections, and various medications can help with itching. Protein causes toxins to form in the digestive tract, so eating less protein will help decrease the buildup of toxins in the blood and brain. The doctor may also prescribe laxatives to help absorb the toxins and remove them from the intestines.
For a person with portal
hypertension, the doctor may prescribe a
blood pressure medication such as a beta blocker. If varices bleed, the doctor may either inject them with a clotting agent or perform what is called a rubber-band ligation, which uses a special device to compress the varices and stop the bleeding.
Liver Transplantation to Treat Cirrhosis
When
cirrhosis complications cannot be controlled or when the liver becomes so damaged from scarring that it completely stops functioning, a liver transplant is necessary. During liver transplantation surgery, a diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one from an organ donor. About 80 percent to 90 percent of patients survive liver transplantation.
Survival rates have improved over the past several years because of drugs such as cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®) and tacrolimus (Prograf®), which suppress the immune system and keep it from attacking and damaging the new liver.
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