What does F2-F3 liver fibrosis mean?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Gastroenterologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

F2, F3 liver fibrosis is the next stage of cirrhosis F1, this is the borderline stage between mild and severe cirrhosis (F4). At this time, the fibrous tissue, scar tissue has appeared more clearly along with certain damage in the liver.

Cirrhosis is a condition in which liver cells are damaged continuously for a long time, characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrous tissue, scarring and the formation of neoplastic nodules leading to loss of liver function.
There are many causes of cirrhosis such as cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B and C viruses,...; due to alcohol, beer, tobacco; biliary tract diseases such as biliary obstruction, gallstones; inadequate nutrition; obesity, diabetes, parasitic infections (schistosomiasis, liver fluke); due to drugs and chemicals; primary biliary cirrhosis, heart disease, inherited metabolic disorders and cirrhosis of unknown cause,...
Cirrhosis F2 – F3 is the degree and stage of the disease.
Stage 2 (F2): The liver appears more damaged and has more symptoms.
This is the stage of liver fibrosis F2 (grade 2 cirrhosis, grade F2), the disease now appears more scar tissue, fibrous tissue in the patient's liver can be seen more clearly. F2 cirrhosis is a condition in which damaged liver tissue forms excess connective tissue.
The amount of fibrous tissue cells at this stage increases a lot, making the liver function significantly impaired, toxins are stagnant, not being excreted, causing other organs to be affected, causing disturbances in metabolism. body.
Stage 3 (F3): The liver appears more damaged, the symptoms are also more obvious.
Stage 3 cirrhosis (grade 3 cirrhosis, grade F3 cirrhosis) has caused the liver to have partial liver dysfunction. Because the amount of liver cells replaced by fibrous tissue accounts for the majority. F3 liver fibrosis is much higher than F2 liver fibrosis, causing the liver to lose most of its inherent function. The remaining normal liver cells will have to work harder to replace the part of the liver with cirrhosis leading to overload, more and more stagnant toxins, causing liver cells to gradually be damaged and move to the fibrosis stage. .

Cirrhosis progresses through many stages and is divided into levels: F1, F2, F3, F4. In which, F1 is mild, F2 is moderate and F3, F4 is severe. If the disease is detected at the F1, F2 stage, it can be treated completely.
But when cirrhosis turns to stage F3, F4, it will be very difficult to cure completely. At this time, treatment only helps control symptoms, limit disease progression, and prolong life for patients.
>> See more: The role of herbs in the treatment and prevention of liver fibrosis - Posted by Master, Doctor Mai Vien Phuong - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

Symptoms of cirrhosis F2 The patient feels fullness in the abdomen, indigestion, fatigue in the body, and often has a slight fever in the evening. Urine turns dark yellow, skin pigmentation on hands and feet more yellow. Acute pain in the right lower abdomen, pain due to cirrhosis does not happen often. Nosebleeds, bleeding gums. Fingernails, toenails dry, whiter. Symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver F3: Severe digestive disorders, when passing black stools. Patients also experience nausea, vomiting blood. Cirrhotic patients have fluid accumulation in the feet, causing leg swelling. When pressed, the foot is concave, but it takes 1-2 minutes to disappear. The abdomen is enlarged, fluid stasis ascites, intense pain when pressed. The skin of cirrhosis patients is yellow not only in the hands and feet but also spreading to the whole body Increase heart rate and often feel dizzy, Therefore, patients need to detect cirrhosis early to go to the hospital for examination, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment.

Blood tests When you have cirrhosis, the fibrous tissue in your liver interferes with blood flow through your liver. Blood will flow back to the spleen, causing the spleen to enlarge. The spleen will retain and destroy blood cells, causing the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to decrease, this is also known as hypersplenism. Blood tests showing low platelets can indicate cirrhosis of the liver.
Ultrasound This is a simple, fast, non-hazardous method that can be performed many times. Through ultrasound images, the doctor will evaluate the size of the liver, whether it is large or small, the structure of the liver, whether the edges of the liver are rough or scarred, whether there are abnormalities such as fatty liver, abscess, mass tumor in the liver. With color ultrasound, the doctor can see the blood vessels in the liver more clearly and the directions of blood flow in the liver.
Currently, the ultrasound elastography method of liver tissue is the best method to evaluate the damage in the liver parenchyma and the degree of cirrhosis. Accordingly, the patient lies on his back, his right hand is placed behind his head, the operator places the transducer on the intercostal skin where the liver biopsy is usually located and presses it with a slight pressure and the test consists of 10 consecutive measurements at the same time. position. The machine will automatically calculate the average value. The results are analyzed by the machine and give specific numbers.
The advantage of the technique is that it is non-invasive, easy to perform in patients with obesity, ascites, and can be applied to many different organs.