Liver disease, what are the symptoms of ascites in cirrhosis?

Among so many liver diseases, cirrhosis is the most common. Patients with cirrhosis usually have liver pain and discomfort in the liver area in the early stages of the disease, with obvious symptoms of bloating and ascites. They usually show loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Patients may also experience physical fatigue. When these obvious symptoms appear, you need to go to the hospital for a liver function test and be careful about the aggravation of cirrhosis due to ascites.

Early symptoms of liver cirrhosis

Many patients with cirrhosis do not know that they have liver disease before diagnosis, because it takes at least 10 to 20 years from being a carrier to developing hepatitis, and generally five to ten years from hepatitis to developing cirrhosis. The liver has a strong compensatory ability. Even if 30% to 40% of liver cells are replaced by fibrosis, it can still cope with the metabolic needs of daily life and may not show symptoms. Symptoms only appear when work or life is overloaded, or when illness or surgery causes high consumption. In the early stages, symptoms usually include fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, and pain in the liver area.

Cirrhosis Ascites

Ascites is one of the most prominent symptoms of liver cirrhosis. Patients with liver disease who do not develop ascites after developing cirrhosis are in the early stage of liver cirrhosis, or the compensated stage of liver cirrhosis. Once ascites occurs, it is the late stage of cirrhosis, also called the decompensated stage. More than 75% of patients in the decompensated stage have ascites. A large amount of ascites causes the abdomen to swell, present a frog-like belly, and ptosis. The appearance of ascites reflects a more serious condition. In addition to rest and controlling water and sodium salt intake, abdominal paracentesis is suitable for patients with new ascites. For patients with rapid increase in ascites for unknown reasons, liver-protecting drugs should be selected according to the requirements for cirrhosis treatment. In most patients, ascites can disappear after treatment.

What are the symptoms of cirrhosis?

Common symptoms of mild cirrhosis include poor appetite, upper abdominal pain, fatigue, weakness, weight loss, etc. Most of the cases have enlarged livers, and varicose veins of the abdominal wall, ankle edema, liver palms, spider nevi, and bleeding often occur. Sometimes anemia may occur. Once ascites, jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, esophageal varicose bleeding, etc. appear, it indicates that the patient has entered the stage of liver decompensation. It may present with cachexia-like symptoms, irregular low fever, angular cheilitis, multiple radiculitis, headache, insomnia, etc. In the later stages, complications such as upper gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, secondary infection, ascites, and cancer may occur.

Clinical manifestations:

Cirrhosis develops slowly, often lying dormant for 3 to 5 years or even decades before symptoms appear, and tends to slowly worsen. History of hepatitis, drinking history, history of exposure to poisons, previous illness and drug treatment history, family history, etc. can all provide important clues for the diagnosis of the cause. Common symptoms include poor appetite, upper abdominal pain, fatigue, weakness, and weight loss. Most livers are enlarged, with the left lobe often being more obvious. It may shrink in late stages and have a medium hardness and little tenderness. The spleen is often moderately enlarged and occasionally splenomegaly. Varicose veins of the abdominal wall and ankle edema may occur during the course of the disease. Palmar erythema, spider nevi, male breast development, testicular atrophy, epistaxis, bleeding gums, skin hemorrhages, etc. occur from time to time. Sometimes anemia may occur. At present, the clinical manifestations of cirrhosis are still divided into compensated and decompensated stages of liver function. Once ascites, jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, esophageal varicose bleeding, etc. appear, it indicates that the patient has entered the stage of liver decompensation.

The symptoms of compensated cirrhosis are mild. Common symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, dry mouth, nausea, aversion to oil, belching, abdominal distension and other non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms. Vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea will only appear when they are significant. Fatigue, abdominal distension, and loss of appetite appear earlier and are more prominent. Symptoms are mostly intermittent, triggered by fatigue or other concurrent diseases, and can be relieved by rest or treatment. There is generally no abnormality in nutritional status. The liver is slightly enlarged, with a smooth surface, hard texture, and no or some tenderness. The spleen may be slightly or moderately enlarged. Partially compensated cirrhosis can always maintain a compensated state of liver function.