Cirrhosis occurs when healthy tissue in your liver gets scarred. This keeps the liver from working well. It usually happens after a liver has been inflamed for years.
Cirrhosis is most often caused by alcohol use disorder or hepatitis infection. But there are other causes too. These include medicines and too much fat in the liver. Conditions passed down in families and other disorders can also cause it. In some cases, no cause can be found.
Treatment can't completely fix liver damage. But you may be able to slow or prevent more damage if you don't drink alcohol or take medicines, drugs, or supplements that harm your liver.
Cirrhosis (say "suh-ROH-sus") is a very serious condition in which healthy tissue in the liver is replaced with scar tissue. The scarring keeps the liver from working as it should. For example, the liver may stop making clotting factors, which can lead to bleeding problems. Bile and poisons may build up in the blood. The scarring can also cause high blood pressure in the vein that carries blood to the liver.
You may not have symptoms in the early stages of cirrhosis. But as it gets worse, it can cause a number of symptoms. These include:
Scar tissue from cirrhosis may block the proper flow of blood from the intestines through the liver. The scarring can lead to increased pressure in the veins that supply this area. This is called portal hypertension. It can lead to other health complications.
Treatment may include medicines, surgery, and lifestyle changes. This depends on the cause of your cirrhosis and what other problems it is causing. Treatment can't cure cirrhosis. But it can sometimes prevent or delay more liver damage.
To help limit the damage to your liver and control symptoms:
A liver transplant may be an option for severe cirrhosis.
Your doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history to see if you have symptoms of liver disease and to help find out possible causes of liver damage.
If your doctor thinks that you might have cirrhosis, you may have blood and imaging tests. You also may have a liver biopsy. This test can show for sure if you have cirrhosis.
Measuring the levels of certain chemicals produced by the liver can show how well your liver is working. Blood tests may be used to measure:
You may have blood tests to check your liver enzymes. These can help show if you've had liver inflammation for a long time. These blood tests include:
Some people with cirrhosis have normal liver enzymes.
Imaging tests can check for tumors and blocked bile ducts. They also can be used to look at the size of the liver and to see how blood flows through the liver. These tests include:
Lifestyle changes may reduce symptoms caused by complications of cirrhosis. These changes may also help to slow new liver damage.
If you have cirrhosis, it's important that you stop drinking alcohol completely, even if alcohol wasn't the cause of the cirrhosis. If you don't stop, liver damage may quickly get worse.
You may need to limit the amount of salt you eat.
If your body is retaining fluid, you'll need to reduce your sodium intake. You do this by reducing the amount of salt in your diet. People with liver damage tend to retain sodium. This can make fluid build up in your belly (ascites).
Your doctor may also talk to you about changing your diet. Certain foods may make symptoms worse.
Some medicines should be used carefully or not taken at all if you have cirrhosis. For example, acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can speed up liver damage. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the risk of variceal bleeding if you have enlarged veins (varices) in the digestive tract. NSAIDs can also raise your risk for ascites. They include ibuprofen (such as Motrin or Advil) and naproxen (Aleve). Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what medicines are safe for you.
Certain prescription medicines used to treat other conditions may be harmful if you have cirrhosis. Make sure that your doctor knows all the medicines you take (including all nonprescription medicines, vitamins, herbs, and supplements).
Taking other steps to improve your overall health may help you cope with the symptoms of cirrhosis.
In general, you should avoid most herbal and other supplements. They may make liver disease worse.
Talk to your doctor about whether you should try any alternative treatment.
Cirrhosis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when scarring, called fibrosis, damages the liver. The scarring replaces healthy tissue and prevents the liver from working normally.
The most common causes of cirrhosis are alcohol use disorder and some types of hepatitis.
Many people who are infected with the hepatitis C virus will develop long-term (chronic) infection. Some people who have chronic hepatitis C will go on to develop cirrhosis—severe liver damage and scarring—after a period of about 20 years or more.
Certain factors may affect how quickly problems such as cirrhosis or liver cancer develop.
The way cirrhosis develops depends on:
Cirrhosis is a very serious condition in which scarring damages the liver. This scar tissue prevents the liver from working as it should. That can cause problems with blood clotting, which can lead to bleeding and bruising. Cirrhosis can also cause fluid buildup in the belly, jaundice, and severe bleeding in the digestive tract.
Cirrhosis can have many causes. Some of the main ones include:
Less common causes include severe reactions to medicines. Cirrhosis may also be caused by long-term exposure to poisons, such as arsenic. Some people have it without a clear cause.
Symptoms of encephalopathy may include:
Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
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