Liver diseases can be classified into acute or chronic liver diseases. Most of the acute liver diseases are infections from hepatitis viruses such as hepatitis A, B and C. Alcohol can also cause hepatitis. The long term effects of such infections is what leads to chronic liver disease. Men tend to be affected more by liver diseases compared to women. This paper provides some articles which discuss liver disease in the context of how it impacts on men (Durazzo, et al., 2014) .
The article “Men’s Health Line” is an article about liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis is a liver disease characterized by permanent damage of the liver cells and subsequent scarring of the liver. The article is an educational article on the topic and is authored by the Center for Health Protection which is in the Hong Kong’s department of health. The article points out a statistical finding that chronic liver disease contributes to considerable deaths in Hong Kong. It is ranked fourteenth as a cause of death there with male being affected more than women. The ratio as at 2017 was 1.7 to 1 (Center for Health Protection, 2018) .
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The article provides information on the signs and symptoms as well as risk factors of liver cirrhosis. This is important as it allows males to identify the risk factors and make the necessary health choices. Most notable in the causative factors is alcohol abuse. This greatly relates to men. Therefore, knowing this will help men to either stop taking alcohol or reduce the amounts. Other major risk factors mentioned in the article include chronic hepatitis and inheritable conditions such as metabolic diseases. According to the article, vomiting blood and bloody stools points to late stages of liver cirrhosis. The patient may also get confused. As part of offering health education to the men, the article provides ways in which one can protect one’s liver. Some of the steps pointed out in the article include alcohol cessation or reduction, hepatitis B vaccination and avoiding taking street drugs and unnecessary drugs. These are important health points for men to help them make good decisions (Center for Health Protection, 2018) . More importantly, the article advises on important measures a person can take if they have a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. The most important ones include alcohol and smoking cessation. This relieves the metabolic pressure from the liver which is involved in the metabolism of the drugs. Other measures as pointed in the article include regular exercise and taking a healthy diet (Center for Health Protection, 2018) .
In the article “ Male sexual disturbances in liver diseases: What do we know?”, erectile dysfunction as a consequence of liver disease is given an in-depth consideration. According to (Durazzo, et al., 2014) , liver disease is a common cause of erectile dysfunction. This leads to reduced quality of life and causes a myriad of psychosocial problems. It has an incidence of 32% in the United States. According to the authors, advancing liver disease leads to erectile dysfunction. This, according to the authors is multifactorial. They link it to the treatments most if these men receive which include antiviral agents and beta blockers.
The article also puts great emphasis on the causative agents of chronic liver disease. An important mention is made on viral infection. Hepatitis B and C are the main culprits that lead to chronic liver disease. They lead to liver cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure. The two can also lead to hepatocellular carcinoma. As such, the authors note that this is an important public health concern which if addressed can help reduce the various cases of liver failure and subsequent consequences such as erectile dysfunction. A special note is made on the effect of alcohol abuse on liver function and subsequent erectile dysfunction. Alcohol tends to worsen the symptoms of erectile dysfunction in the setting of liver cirrhosis. Therefore, alcohol is an etiological factor as well as a factor that works synergistically in the setting of erectile dysfunction (Durazzo, et al., 2014) .
According to Nall (2018), hepatitis tends to affect males more than women. It is estimated that 2.3% of men have hepatitis C infection in the United States. Moreover, 73.6% of the population with liver cirrhosis are men. This implies that men tend to develop chronic liver disease more compared to women. In the article, the early signs and symptoms of hepatitis C infections come out clearly. These include loss of appetite, yellowing of the eyes, fatigue and fevers. It also includes nausea and muscle aches. The article points out the risk factors for men with respect to contracting hepatitis C infection. Sharing of needles among intravenous drug users is one of the main risk factors into contracting hepatitis C infection. The lack of using a condom while having sex is one of the risk factors. This is especially important in men who have sex with other men. Other risk factors as enumerated in in the article include co-infection with HIV and hepatitis B infection. The use of immunosuppressive drugs and alcohol are also linked to progression of hepatitis C infection to chronic liver disease. Most importantly, the article provides great insights on how to prevent hepatitis C infection. These measures include wearing a condom during sex, avoiding alcohol and getting vaccination. These will prevent the long term sequelae of chronic liver disease and its complications (Nall, 2018) .
References
Center for Health Protection. (2018, 12 22). Men's Health Line - Cirrhosis of Liver . Retrieved from Center for Health Protection: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/80032.html
Durazzo, M., Premoli, A., Bisceglie, D., Bo, S., Ghigo, E., & Manieri, C. (2014). Male sexual disturbances in liver diseases: What do we know? Journal of Endocrinological Investigation , 501-505.
Nall, R. (2018). What to know about hepatitis C in men. MedicalNewsToday .
