Who Needs a Liver Transplant?
Liver transplant surgeries are a complex surgical procedure wherein an affected liver is replaced with a new liver obtained from a deceased donor or a part of a healthy liver from a living person. Some of the most important functions of the liver are:
- Processes hormones, medications, and nutrition
- Produces bile juice which absorbs fats, fat-soluble vitamins and cholesterol
- Produces blood-clotting proteins
- Eliminates toxins from blood
- Enhances immunity
Liver transplants aren't usually recommended even by the top liver transplant hospitals in India as they are mainly used in cases where the patient suffers from cirrhosis or end-stage liver diseases. Liver failures may be acute or chronic, and can happen over a period of time or can even be sudden. However, chronic liver failure is the most common and happens over a period of years while acute liver failure happens due to harmful medications. Liver transplants, in most liver disease treatments in India, are mostly reserved for chronic liver illnesses, more often than not caused by cirrhosis.
Liver cirrhosis is a condition which is a result of a combination of factors. Some of the most commonly observed causes of cirrhosis are:
- Hepatitis B and C.
- Excessive alcohol consumption, also known as binge drinking.
- When fat accumulates on the liver leading to unprecedented inflammation of the liver or damaging the liver cells.
- Genetic abnormalities that sometimes impact the liver; such conditions being hemochromatosis, iron-build-up, Wilson's disease, copper accumulation etc.
- Abnormalities / disease that can damage the bile ducts such as biliary atresia, biliary cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis. It is important to note that biliary atresia also affects children to a large extent.
Liver transplants are also generally recommended to those suffering from Liver Cancers and mostly to those who are cirrhosis patients. Some of the most common risks associated with liver disease treatments in India include:
- Bile duct complications
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
- Failure of donated liver
- Infection
- Rejection of donated liver
- Mental confusion or seizures