Cirrhosis of the liver caused from hep b

General Discussion
1

Can your hep b cause other problems to other organs and can it be prevented from spreading to other organs? And can liver cancer be prevented after the diagnosis of cirrhosis. How do you know what grade of cirrhosis do you have?

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Hi @Davis2267,
Great question. Yes when one’s liver is severely damaged and becomes less functional it can affect other organs. Our organs depend on each other and given the vital functions performed by the liver it could definitely affect other organs. When there is a cancer in one’s liver that can also easily metastasise given the close proximity of our liver to other abdominal organs such as the lungs, pancreas etc. Having hepatitis B virus alone without any damage reported regarding the liver should not affect any organ.
Best, Bansah1

3

Hi @Davis2267,

Thanks for your question. There are accounts of Hep B affecting other organs, such as arthritis, but this is rare. Liver cancer can be prevented in people with cirrhosis: all guidelines recommend antiviral treatment in everyone with cirrhosis to prevent likelihood of liver cancer and liver disease progression.

Generally a liver biopsy is required to confirm which grade of cirrhosis you have.
EDIT: Child-Pugh grade of cirrhosis can be calculated with the following calculator: Child-Pugh Score for Cirrhosis Mortality

Hope this helps,
Thomas

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So I asked my GI today what grade of cirrhosis I have and his reply is there are no grades

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Continuing the discussion from Cirrhosis of the liver caused from hep b:

He also told me there wasn’t anything that could be done until it turns into cancer

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Hi @Davis2267,

Sorry to hear about your experiences. Are you currently on antiviral medication? If not, this could be a potential way of reducing risk of liver disease progression.

There are grades of cirrhosis: Child-Pugh grade of cirrhosis can be calculated with the following calculator: Child-Pugh Score for Cirrhosis Mortality

Thomas

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