Management of patients with liver cirrhosis at outpatient stage: How not to miss it?

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is a disease gastroenterologists and therapists face daily, and not only in the hospital when it comes to treating complications, but also at outpatient appointments, when the disease is in the compensation stage. At the same time, in the age group of 20–40 years, mortality from liver cirrhosis (LC) exceeds that from coronary heart disease. Despite modern advances in intensive care and transplantation, the mortality rate in the development of liver failure remains high [1]. For example, in 2015, there were 1.3 million deaths from liver cirrhosis, of which 348,000 were caused by alcohol, 326,000 by hepatitis C, and 371,000 by hepatitis B [2]. The classic manifestations of cirrhosis leave no doubt in the diagnosis, however, a detailed history taking, active identification of risk factors at the stage of the latent course of liver cirrhosis can prevent many severe complications of this disease and reduce the number of hospitalizations.