Chronic liver damages like viral activity, exposure to chemical pollutants, immune processes, metabolic disorders or even primary or secondary cancer growth lead to liver fibrosis. About 400,000 people died in the USA from “chronic liver disease and cirrhosis” between 1976 and 1980.
Till date, the only curative treatment available for end stage cirrhosis is transplantation, but the problem always stayed with the availability of donor organs even in the developed countries. To add to, the potential recipient’s clinical condition also limit the applicability of this technique.
But, it is only recently, scientists have come up with an innovative treatment for liver fibrosis. They claim their new development will not just stop, but also reverse the disease!
Although, 6 years ago, a San Diego research team had developed a process that can block the excess scar tissue growth that leads to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, in the recent development, the researchers have come up with a therapy that could block a protein responsible for overproducing scar tissue - both stopping and revering the cell damage from fibrosis.
The new therapy can now help cure cirrhosis caused by alcohol - hepatic stellate cell - allowing not just liver injury recovery, but, reversal of liver fibrosis as well!
