A close family member was recently diagnosed with cirrhosis (scarring) of liver. This came to light when she developed problems with her brain. One fine morning while coming back from a picnic, she was not talking sense. Her irrelevant talk surprised her son. At first, he thought it was some kind of jaadoo tona (witchcraft). A local doctor thought it was a mental health issue as there were no apparent signs of physical illness. A battery of tests showed that the patient had liver cirrhosis. Her lab results also found high levels of ammonia (a body’s waste product) in her blood, which affected how her brain worked, explained her irrelevant speech.

After a few days treatment, she improved. She was told that her condition can’t be cured and she will need regular care from now on. Although

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