1. Healthcare Condition/Problem Described by the Healthcare Professional During my interview with my cousin, Macy Taylor, I learned that she frequently comes across patients with liver cirrhosis. My cousin is a registered nurse at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She works on floor six, South Medsurg Renal, which means the floor she works on specializes in renal, but she said not all of her patients have kidney issues. Their floor deals with a wide variety of complications and she provided me with several complications that are relatively common: peritonitis, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and end stage renal disease. Out of all of the issues she deals with, she most frequently sees liver cirrhosis. She explained to me
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Prognosis Once diagnosed with liver cirrhosis many will want to know the outcomes of the disease or the prognosis. In majority of cases, liver cirrhosis is irreversible. The liver will never return back to normal due to the depletion of normal liver tissue for fibrotic tissue. Liver cirrhosis can lead to many complications, such as, ascites, portal hypertension, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma, and ultimately complete liver failure.
6. Signs and Symptoms Furthermore, clinical manifestations of liver cirrhosis all depend on how far the disease has progressed and it can often be asymptomatic for many years. “The most common signs and symptoms of cirrhosis are weight loss, weakness, and anorexia. Diarrhea frequently is present… Hepatomegaly and jaundice also are common signs… There may be abdominal pain... in the epigastric area or in the upper right quadrant and is described as dull, aching, and causing sensation of fullness” (Grossman & Porth, 2014, p. 1228). Later signs and symptoms of liver cirrhosis are “portal hypertension and liver cell failure… thrombocytopenia… gynecomastia and a feminizing pattern of pubic hair distribution in men because of testicular atrophy, spider angiomas, palmar erythema, and encephalopathy with asterixis and neurologic signs” (Grossman & Porth, 2014, p.1228). Some other manifestations of liver cirrhosis are purpura, edema, hemorrhoids, and periumbilical caput
Prognosis Once diagnosed with liver cirrhosis many will want to know the outcomes of the disease or the prognosis. In majority of cases, liver cirrhosis is irreversible. The liver will never return back to normal due to the depletion of normal liver tissue for fibrotic tissue. Liver cirrhosis can lead to many complications, such as, ascites, portal hypertension, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma, and ultimately complete liver failure.
6. Signs and Symptoms Furthermore, clinical manifestations of liver cirrhosis all depend on how far the disease has progressed and it can often be asymptomatic for many years. “The most common signs and symptoms of cirrhosis are weight loss, weakness, and anorexia. Diarrhea frequently is present… Hepatomegaly and jaundice also are common signs… There may be abdominal pain... in the epigastric area or in the upper right quadrant and is described as dull, aching, and causing sensation of fullness” (Grossman & Porth, 2014, p. 1228). Later signs and symptoms of liver cirrhosis are “portal hypertension and liver cell failure… thrombocytopenia… gynecomastia and a feminizing pattern of pubic hair distribution in men because of testicular atrophy, spider angiomas, palmar erythema, and encephalopathy with asterixis and neurologic signs” (Grossman & Porth, 2014, p.1228). Some other manifestations of liver cirrhosis are purpura, edema, hemorrhoids, and periumbilical caput