Patient's question:
I have had fatty liver for over three years and have been relying on medication to control it. I usually dislike alcohol and can't help but drink a few sips sometimes, which might affect my condition. Recently, when I went to the hospital for a follow-up check-up, the doctor said it might progress to liver cirrhosis. Until now, I haven't dared to tell my wife.Doctor's answer:
During the progression of fatty liver disease, cirrhosis represents the second stage. In other words, the process of liver disease worsening is from hepatitis to cirrhosis and then to liver cancer. Before explaining the symptoms of cirrhosis, let's first gain a preliminary understanding of what cirrhosis is.1. What is cirrhosis? In simple terms, cirrhosis means the liver has become hard. Medically, cirrhosis refers to liver damage where, after liver cells die, the fibrous tissue inside the liver becomes fibrotic, filling the gaps left by the dying liver cells. As the condition progresses, when the fibrosis reaches a certain extent, it constitutes cirrhosis. Early-stage cirrhosis is essentially still in the stage of liver fibrosis, and this...