Cirrhosis of the liver is very common in our country and is sometimes referred to as end-stage liver disease. Cirrhosis is a major disease that seriously jeopardizes the health of our people. With the continuous improvement of early detection and treatment means, the survival of cirrhosis has been improved in the last 10 years, but the death rate of cirrhosis in the decompensated stage of liver disease due to complications, such as ascites, variceal hemorrhage, slow plus acute liver failure, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma still reaches about 50%.In 2016, the internationally renowned New England Journal of Medicine review pointed out that: the average life expectancy of patients with compensated cirrhosis is 10 to 13 years, and the average life expectancy of cirrhosis is as low as 2 years if it progresses to the decompensated stage. Therefore, cirrhosis brings serious disease burden to patients’ families and society! It should attract enough attention and concern. It is important to emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and standardized treatment, as well as the importance of patients’ active self-health management. In clinical practice, there are indeed a considerable number of patients who passively seek medical treatment only when complications or liver failure occur in the late stage, such as: pain in the liver area due to gastrointestinal hemorrhage, ascites, jaundice, hepatic encephalopathy, or even rupture of huge liver cancer. In fact, it is too late to see a doctor at this point, and the mortality rate is significantly higher and the survival period will not be too long. Patients and their families often regret it too late! As a clinician, I also sigh and feel very painful! For this reason, the sense of mission of the profession makes me feel that it is very worthwhile to send time and energy to carry out popularization of science and education, which is also the practice of the Party Central Committee on health promotion and education of important decisions and deployments. As one of the series of health education on chronic liver disease, this article emphasizes the importance of good self-health management in patients with cirrhosis! This must start from recognizing the law of occurrence and development of liver cirrhosis. I. Etiology: the “evil” root of cirrhosis Cirrhosis is not a disease, but the final outcome of the continuous progression of chronic liver disease caused by a variety of etiologic factors. We are no strangers to chronic viral hepatitis B (HBV), which is the most common cause of cirrhosis in our country, usually called “hepatitis B cirrhosis”, followed by hepatitis C (HCV), schistosomiasis, alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and other etiological factors include: cholestasis and immune liver disease (“primary cholestatic cholangitis”, “primary biliary cholangitis”). primary biliary cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis), drugs or toxins, circulatory-vascular disorders of the liver, inherited metabolic disorders and so-called cryptogenic cirrhosis of unknown origin. These etiologic factors are the source of evils that lead to the formation of cirrhosis! Second, cirrhosis pathological formation process: a sinful road of no return All of the above causes can cause liver injury and inflammation, mostly the death of hepatocytes to start the inflammatory response, chronic persistent inflammation, accompanied by a large number of inflammatory cells, immune cell activation and activation of hepatic stellate cells, which amplifies the inflammatory response of the “lethality”, further expanding the extent and scope of hepatocyte death. This amplifies the “killing power” of the inflammatory response, further expanding the extent and scope of liver cell death. Of course, the liver itself will start the “regeneration and repair” mechanism to “fight”. If the cause of the disease cannot be effectively eradicated, and the “criminals” are allowed to run wild, these ever-expanding “black forces” will eventually lead to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (mainly collagenous tissue or scar tissue) in the liver, resulting in the formation of the so-called hepatic fibrosis, which is commonly called liver “scarring”, which is a condition where the liver is “scarred”. It is the formation of “scars” in the liver, and as the scars continue to accumulate, cirrhosis eventually develops. As the name suggests, a healthy liver that is normally soft and vibrant becomes a hard liver that is worn out and scarred. As the liver slowly loses its normal function, its vascular system also develops serious problems, such as elevated portal vein pressure manifesting as portal hypertension. Once complications of portal hypertension occur, such as ascites, esophageal and fundic varices, and hepatic encephalopathy mean that cirrhosis enters the decompensated phase. Every year 5-7% of early cirrhosis patients progress to decompensated cirrhosis. Third, the complications of cirrhosis: the main culprit of threatening patients’ life! With the further destruction of liver and regenerative nodule formation, complications of cirrhosis gradually appear, usually manifesting ascites, double lower extremity edema, esophagogastric varices rupture and bleeding, infections (including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis), hepatorenal syndrome, hepatic encephalopathy, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma and other complications, a considerable portion of patients with infections, medications, immunosuppressants, and activation of hepatitis B virus, etc., the triggering factors such as acute decompensated and Slow plus acute liver failure, internal medicine treatment is quite difficult, if not liver transplantation, short-term (28 days) death rate is quite high, which needs to pay enough attention! Self-health management strategy for cirrhosis patients: follow the rules and regulations, and keep on catching up Through the patients’ conscious and active learning, on the basis of familiarizing with the occurrence and development of cirrhosis, they should determine the treatment plan and long-term health management and follow-up plan under the guidance of specialist physicians. Do not take it seriously or scruple to seek medical treatment! The ultimate goal is to eradicate the cause of the disease, maximize the fight against the “crime”, so that it can not take advantage of the best to let it “go back to the way it was”. First, the treatment of the underlying cause is fundamental. With the help of your physician, you should try to find the cause of cirrhosis, which is the “source” of cirrhosis. Only by eradicating the cause of the disease and treating both the symptoms and the root cause can we prevent liver fibrosis from progressing to cirrhosis. Eliminating the cause of liver fibrosis in the early stage of liver fibrosis or even in the stage of liver cirrhosis can realize the reversal of liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease, and make it “go back to the way it was”. Even in the end stage of cirrhosis, we can’t give up the treatment of the cause. 1, chronic hepatitis B antiviral treatment, need to be under the guidance of physicians, discuss antiviral strategy, usually oral: entecavir and tenofovir. Long-term antiviral treatment should not be stopped at will. 2.Chronic hepatitis C antiviral treatment, currently there are long-acting interferon + ribavirin program, as well as oral direct antiviral drugs (DAA). 3.Alcoholic liver disease: alcohol must be abstained from! This includes alcoholic beverages. Remember: wine and beer are also alcohol. The European Journal of Liver Diseases reported that for patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, 65% of those who quit drinking lived past 3 years, compared to 0% of those who continued to drink. 4, non-alcoholic fatty liver: control weight, regulate dietary structure, control metabolism-related risk factors, with drug therapy. 5.Stop using hepatotoxic drugs and avoid exposure to hepatotoxic substances. 6.Primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis should take ursodeoxycholic acid for a long time; autoimmune hepatitis should apply immunosuppressant. 7, others: such as hepatic sinusoidal nuclear degeneration (Wilson disease) to low-copper diet; cardiogenic cirrhosis requires cardiologists to guide the diagnosis of cardiac insufficiency; vascular diseases require interventional medicine or vascular surgery and other multidisciplinary teams to work together to formulate a program. Second, liver protection and anti-hepatic fibrosis treatment. Alternative treatments can be given along with etiologic treatments. It is important to understand that not all the causes of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis can be clearly identified; not all the causes can be effectively removed or the progression of liver fibrosis can be stopped after the causes are removed. At this time, the advantages of Chinese and Western medicine can be highlighted, usually recommending Fuzheng Huayu Capsules and Compound turtle shell soft liver tablets. Third, based on the stage of the disease, a reasonable diet program and a regular routine should be established. Fourth, the first visit to the doctor requires cooperation with the doctor and a thorough assessment of the complications of cirrhosis. Comprehensive physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging tests, such as abdominal ultrasound or CT for ascites, hepatocellular carcinoma and giant spleen; gastroscopy for esophageal and gastric fundus varices. For pre-existing complications, targeted treatment should be carried out according to the specialist’s requirements. Fifth, long-term follow-up program recommendations. Follow the treatment and follow-up program recommended by your physician, and pay attention to and adhere to it. Build a good mutual trust between doctors and patients. 1.Generally follow up once in 3 months for liver function, renal function, blood routine, coagulation function, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), abdominal ultrasound, and follow up viral titer (HBV-DNA or HCV-DNA) for patients with hepatitis B or hepatitis C according to the need for testing. 2. It is best to have an enhanced CT of the abdomen once a year. 3. For those who have varicose veins in the first examination, gastroscopy should be repeated once a year as needed. If there is no varicose vein, gastroscopy can be repeated every 2 to 3 years. 4, under the guidance of physicians, deal with complications and close follow-up. Avoid other harmful triggers, such as infection, overwork, alcohol consumption, excessive or inappropriate use of medication.