Can cirrhosis make one prone to pneumococcal infection?

Question

Hello doctor,

My brother is 39 years old and has liver cirrhosis due to years of alcohol problems. Lately, he has been catching a lot of infections, and his doctor said pneumococcal disease can be very risky for him. Is there a special risk because of cirrhosis? He has been having swelling in his belly and gets tired super fast, but now he also has a fever and chills on and off. Do you think this could be related to pneumococcal disease? What kinds of treatments would be safe for him given his liver condition? He is not healing from things like he used to. I would like you to advise us on what we should ask his doctor to check or test.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Liver cirrhosis weakens immunity, making your brother more susceptible to infections, including pneumococcal disease. Fever and chills can be due to pneumococcal or other infections.

Promptly inform his doctor about these symptoms.

It is essential to plan for:

Tests like blood cultures, ascitic fluid analysis, and chest X-rays can help identify infections.
Tests for vitamin D, B12, serum electrolytes, CBC (complete blood count), ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate).
Vaccination with PPSV23 (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine) and PCV13 (Prevenar) is crucial to prevent pneumococcal disease.

Antibiotics and careful liver-safe medications may be needed for treatment.

I hope this has helped you.

Please feel free to reach me again, in case of further queries.

Thank you.