Hepatology: diseases — симптомы, диагностика и лечение

Viral hepatitis B and C are chronic infections that affect the liver and remain asymptomatic for years. This is their main danger: a person feels healthy until cirrhosis or liver cancer develops. However, the situation with their treatment has changed radically over the past decade. Hepatitis C today can be cured in the vast majority of cases with a course of tablets lasting 8-12 weeks. Hepatitis B cannot yet be completely cured, but it can be reliably controlled, and most importantly, there is a vaccine against it.

Cirrhosis is the outcome of long-term liver damage, in which the working tissue is replaced by scar tissue, and the structure of the organ is irreversibly rebuilt. The liver has a huge reserve of strength and takes a long time to compensate for losses, so the disease goes on without symptoms for years, and the first obvious signs often appear already at the stage of complications. It is important to understand the difference: the scar itself does not disappear, but if you eliminate the cause - cure hepatitis C, stop drinking alcohol, lose weight in case of fatty disease - the progression stops, and the condition of the liver can significantly improve. Therefore, the diagnosis of “cirrhosis” is not a death sentence, but requires active action.