Cirrhosis of the liver

[Tanya Shivari]

Cirrhosis is the widespread distortion of the livers internal structure that occurs when a large amount of normal liver tissue is permanently replaced with nonfunctioning scar tissue. The scar tissue develops when the liver is damaged repeatedly or continuously.

• Chronic abuse of alcohol, chronic viral hepatitis, and fatty liver not due to alcohol use are the most common causes of cirrhosis.
• Symptoms, when they occur, include poor appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and a general feeling of illness.
• Many serious complications, such as accumulation of fluid within the abdomen (ascites), bleeding in the digestive tract, and deterioration in brain function, can occur.
• The diagnosis is based on symptoms and results of a physical examination, imaging studies, and sometimes a biopsy.
• Doctors treat complications, but the damage due to cirrhosis is permanent.
• People who have cirrhosis are at risk of liver cancer, so ultrasonography and, if needed, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) are done regularly to check for cancer.

Cirrhosis is a common cause of death worldwide. In the United States, about 35,000 people die of complications of cirrhosis each year.

Various disorders, drugs, or toxins can repeatedly or continuously damage the liver. If damage is sudden (acute) and limited, the liver commonly repairs itself by making new liver cells and attaching them to the web of connective tissue (internal structure) that is left when liver cells die. Repair and full recovery can occur if people can survive long enough. However, with repeated damage, the liver