Evidence-based Ayurvedic treatment of liver cirrhosis

Nowadays, cancer is a much attention seeking topic in the medical field due to its high mortality and treatment limitations, although cirrhosis of the liver is also a clinical entity with a higher mortality rate than the five major cancers i.e. lung, colorectal, stomach, liver, and breast cancers [1]. Treatment limitations for liver cirrhosis are more than cancers. A significant number of patients with cancer concomitantly suffer from liver cirrhosis for several reasons. Liver cirrhosis causes 1,221,000 deaths yearly worldwide, ranking as the 14th and 10th leading cause of death in the world and in most developed countries, respectively [2]. Approximately 170,000 people die from complications of cirrhosis per year in Europe [3]. In addition, the socioeconomic implications may be greater when more men and younger patients are subject to death from liver cirrhosis than from cancer. This suggests that we need to prioritize the development of appropriate health interventions for liver cirrhosis in the same way we are doing for cancer.

The natural history of liver cirrhosis is characterized by initial compensated stage followed by decompensated stage, defined clinically as the development of ascites, jaundice, variceal bleeding, or hepatic encephalopathy. Cirrhosis and its complications not only impair quality of life but also decrease survival. Most of the medical therapies still do not yield satisfactory outcomes in patients of liver cirrhosis. Hepatic transplantation is only the option for decompensated liver cirrhotic patient which is not affordable for all. Its success rate is varying in patient to patient and also not fully satisfactory. However, Ayurveda classical textbooks have described this disease with its Ayurveda treatment in details under the heading of ‘udara roga’. Vardhamāna pippalī, one of the rasāyana treatment and other herbal compounds are found very effective in the patients of decompensated and complicated liver cirrhosis. We are treating this type of decompensated liver cirrhosis patients in our P D Patel Ayurveda Hospital, Nadiad, India since more than three decades with good success rate. We have treatment and followed up data (last 12 years) of more than 300 patients of decompensated cirrhosis of liver with good success rate. The outcomes suggest improvement in liver functions through specific clinical features, laboratory parameters and by evaluating the Child-Pugh prognostic grade score. Most of the patients had more than 3 years of follow-up period with the outcomes showed statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements. All treatment and its effect will be presented in details in the symposium. The results of few clinical research articles published in reputed international journals will also be discussed.
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References: [1] Wankyo Chung, Changik Jo, Woo Jin Chung, Dong Joon Kim. Liver cirrhosis and cancer: comparison of mortality. Hepatology International (2018) 12:269–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-018-9850-5(0123456789().,-volV)(0123456789().,-