There has been intense debate about the possibility of liver disease becoming India’s next major lifestyle disease after diabetes. The number of hospitalized cases for liver diseases has escalated rapidly, the main cause being excessive consumption of alcohol. At least 10 lakh new cases are diagnosed every single year in India! A majority of patients that turn to crowdfunding India are those of liver disease, especially cirrhosis and cancer.
The World Health Organization declared that liver disease is now the tenth most common cause of death in the country. However, its position can rise quickly, given the increasing number of cases in hospitals. Hepatitis and liver cirrhosis are two of the most commonly developed liver diseases.
How do you look for the signs? If you notice any of these symptoms, it might be time to get yourself tested by a doctor:
- Your skin and eyes begin to appear yellow
- You have intense pain in your abdomen
- Your legs and ankles have begun to swell unexplainably
- Your urine is an unnaturally dark color
- You constantly feel nauseous or tired
- You’ve begun to bruise easily
If you get diagnosed, what kind of treatment would you is looking at?
Each liver disease requires its own procedures for treatment. A patient of Hepatitis A needs supportive care to provide hydration. Patients with end-stage liver disease or liver cirrhosis need medication to control the amount of protein absorbed. However, liver cirrhosis is irreversible and patients usually need a liver transplant to recover completely. In India, this poses two mammoth challenges to patients: healthcare costs that are constantly on the rise and the difficulty of finding a donor.
Medical crowdfunding has been paramount in solving the former issue; thousands of patients have turned to crowdfunding India websites to help pay for their medical bills. While dialysis sessions can cost up to Rs 10 lakh, a liver transplant can go up to Rs 25 lakh, including post-operative care and hospital stay. Families and friends of patients have raised lakhs of rupees in a short span of time through top medical crowdfunding platforms like Impact Guru.
Crowdfunding helps avoid the burden of paying back heavy bank loans and prevents patients from having to turn to uncomfortable solutions like asking a family member for a full loan or selling their property or assets.
