The early stages of both liver fibrosis/cirrhosis often do not produce any symptoms. In fact, a 2016 study8 showed that approximately 6-7% of the world’s population have liver fibrosis but are unaware because they do not have any symptoms.
If symptoms occur, it is usually in the late stages, this may include9,10:
It can be in the late stages when symptoms have appeared, especially if you experience pain or discomfort in your upper right abdomen.
There are certain factors that may increase your risk of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, these are:
Obesity: obesity can cause many medical conditions (e.g., nonalcoholic fatty liver) that have been known to be the beginning of liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.
Since symptoms may not appear in the early stages of liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, abnormalities may first show up on your annual blood test, this is observed when there are higher levels of liver enzymes. Once this occurs, your gastroenterologist may use the following tests for accurate diagnosis
The treatment for liver fibrosis/cirrhosis depends on what the main cause of it was. There are a number of medical and non-medical interventions that can take place to either reverse liver fibrosis or prevent liver cirrhosis from progressing even further into liver cancer or liver failure. Depending on the cause of your liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, the treatment options are:
