Cirrhosis Case Study Paper

The following questions relates to the patient within the first 24 hours

1. Outline the causes, incidence and risk factors of the identified disease and how it can impact on the patient and family (450 words)

This case study is about Abdul Chidiac, a 51 year old male, married with 4 children. He had a medical history of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and cirrhosis with two admissions in the last six months. He is a smoker and drinks beer, 5-6 bottles per day. As Carithers & McClain (2010) explained the patient’s medical history is another indicator of the risk for cirrhosis; the progression to cirrhosis is adaptable and may take time over weeks or many years. Cirrhosis is a liver disease characterized by permanent scarring of the liver that interferes with its normal functions including alcoholism. Most people who drink large amounts of alcohol cause harm to the liver in some way (Heidelbaugh & Bruderly, 2006). The cause of cirrhosis is not yet known, but the connection between cirrhosis and excessive alcohol ingestion is established (Jenkins & Johnson, 2010). Common causes of cirrhosis include: alcohol abuse, hepatitis B infection, hepatitis C infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (Schuppan & Afdhal, 2008).

In this scenario Mr. Abdul is at high risk of chronic alcoholism mainly causing danger to his liver due to alcohol abuse in which healthy liver cells are replaced by scar tissue. Evidence showed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS] (2010) that alcoholic liver disease accounted fourteen percent of all deaths due to diseases of the digestive system and of alcoholic liver disease, more males than females died and seventy five percent majority of people aged betw...

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...logy Nurses and Associates [SGNA], 2009). The nurse’s role is educating or teaching client about the danger and risk of alcohol, because the most important part of treatment is to stop using alcohol completely, weight reduction and exercise can improve liver function (Edwards & Sabato, 2009).

Liver is a vital organ and performs several roles; produce proteins that help the blood to clot and removing body wastes; regulates the supply of substances such as glucose throughout the body (Potter et al., 2012). To be able to perform these functions the liver cells must function normally. Alcohol abuse is usually connected to alcoholic liver disease that permanently damaged the liver due to excessive drinking and continued excessive drinking can shorten lifespan. If liver cirrhosis has not yet occurred, the liver can heal once the patient stop drinking alcohol (ABS, 2010).