Nadja Abd el Farrag suffered from cirrhosis of the liver. What is that?

Nadja Abd el Farrag is dead. The television presentation, which also gained awareness as a long -time partner of Dieter Bohlen, reported on May 9, reported on organ failure. It has been known for years that the 60-year-old was not healthy. So she spoke publicly about her alcohol problem for the first time in 2015. Two years later, in an interview with the magazine “Closer”, she also explained that she suffers from cirrhosis of the liver.

At that time, her illness was still in the early stages. Nevertheless, the moderator struggled with the diagnosis. “I know that I have to attribute everything to myself,” ABD el Farrag told “Closer”. Liver cirrhosis is usually caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

How exactly does cirrhosis arise and which risk factors are known? The “” offers information on this. We give an overview of important questions and answers.

With cirrhosis of the liver, the tissue of the liver is destroyed and converted into connective tissue. The liver gets hard. Scars and knots are emerging on their surface. The connective tissue cannot take over the actual task of the liver – the dismantling and the excretion of metabolic products. This limits the function of the organ.

As the disease progresses, the liver can no longer detoxify the blood properly. Skin and conjunctiva dyes yellow in an advanced stage, and memory disorders and psychological changes can occur. In addition, cirrhosis increases the risk of liver cancer.

A liver cirrhosis is preceded by a chronic liver disease. It can exist for years, but also for decades. Viruses, toxins and metabolic diseases damage the liver and attract inflammation cells from the blood. They settle in the organ and continue to damage it. As a result, liver cells can die and are replaced by connective tissue – liver cirrhosis is created. The experts of “internists online” estimate that around 60 percent of illnesses arise from excessive alcohol consumption. Viral hepatitis can also lead to cirrhosis of the liver.

Liver cirrhosis is often diagnosed by random – by an ultrasound examination or striking liver values ​​as part of a blood test. The reason: liver cirrhosis is only noticeable in an advanced stage. Affected people are often tired, cut off and not as powerful as before. Some patients also complain about a feeling of pressure in the upper abdomen, flatulence and nausea. If large parts of the liver are already destroyed, patients get jaundice, they are short of breath and develop water retention in the stomach and legs.

Every year, around 250 out of 100,000 people are new on the cirrhosis of the liver. Men are affected by twice as often as women.

No. However, the doctor can prevent the disease from progressing if he knows the causes of the underlying disease. With alcohol -related cirrhosis, it is important that patients consistently avoid alcohol. In severe cases, a liver transplant is the only chance of healing.

It is all the more important to prevent a possible illness. This includes drinking alcohol only in moderation and not taking potentially liver -damaging drugs for longer than necessary. If you are unsure whether your medication may be harmful to the liver, you can inquire about the side effects at your family doctor.

This text comes from the archive and has been updated.