How to Diagnose Mild Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a result of chronic liver disease primarily characterized by fibrous scar tissue in the liver. It has many causes such as alcohol abuse, hepatitis and chronic liver disease. It's important to identify cirrhosis as quickly as possible before the damage becomes irreversible. Cirrhosis can be gauged by the Child-Pugh score which uses multiple tests to assess the severity of a cirrhosis case.

Things You'll Need

• Ascites exam
• Neurological exam
• Bilirubin level
• Serum albumin level
• International normalized ratio level

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Conduct physical exams. Cirrhosis can cause fluid to accumulate in the peritoneal cavity, which is a condition known as ascites. Add 1 point to the Child-Pugh score for no ascites, 2 points for mild ascites and 3 points for severe ascites.

• 2

  Evaluate the severity of any neurological impairment from toxic substances in the bloodstream due to poor liver function. This condition is known as hepatic encephalopathy and will add 1 point to the Child-Pugh score for no hepatic encephalopathy, 2 points for stage I and II hepatic encephalopathy and 3 points for more severe hepatic encephalopathy.

• 3

  Measure the bilirubin level in the blood. Bilirubin is a component of the bile secreted by the liver and its concentration in the blood is a general indicator of the liver's functioning. Add 1 point to the Child-Pugh score for a bilirubin level that's less than 34 milligrams of bilirubin per deciliter (mg/dl) of blood, 2 points for a bilirubin level between 34 and 50 mg/dl and 3 points for any bilirubin level greater than 50 mg/dl.

• 4

  Perform a serum albumin test. This value indicates how well fluids are distributed in the body. Add 1 point to the Child-Pugh score for a serum albumin level greater than 35 grams per liter (g/l), 2 points for an albumin level between 28 and 35 g/l and 3 points any albumin level lower than 28 g/l.

• 5

  Determine the International normalized ratio (INR). This result is a measure of the blood's clotting time. Add 1 point to the Child-Pugh score for an INR score less than 1.7, add 2 points for an INR score between 1.71 and 2.2, and add 3 points for any INR score greater than 2.2.

• 6

  Identify mild cirrhosis with a Child-Pugh score of 5 or 6 points. This corresponds to class A liver disease which is the mildest form of cirrhosis on the Child-Pugh scale.