What is cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that occurs as a result of chronic liver disease. The scarring replaces healthy liver tissue and restricts blood flow through the liver. It also impedes many of the liver’s primary functions, including protecting the body from infection, producing bile to absorb fats, removing toxins from the blood, creating proteins that regulate blood clotting, and processing nutrients, hormones and drugs.

The causes of cirrhosis are varied. Common reasons for cirrhosis include infection from the hepatitis B or hepatitis C viruses, and abuse of alcohol. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, obesity, bile duct disorders, cystic fibrosis, iron build up in the body, autoimmune and genetic diseases also can cause cirrhosis. In some people, cirrhosis has more than one cause, such as obesity and alcohol abuse. Cirrhosis takes years to develop and is not the result of short-term or acute trauma.

People in the early stage of cirrhosis usually experience no symptoms; often, a diagnosis of cirrhosis is confirmed with one of the condition’s later symptoms. Abdominal pain, spider-like blood vessels, severe itching, loss of appetite, feeling tired, and weight loss are early symptoms.

Later symptoms of cirrhosis can include easy bruising or bleeding, jaundice, mental confusion, redness on the palms of the hands, severe itching, fluid buildup in the legs and abdomen, gallstones, and hepatic encephalopathy. In the most severe stages, cirrhosis can lead to kidney failure, liver cancer, and coma. Cirrhosis also places people at an increased risk for additional liver issues, including hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

A diagnosis of cirrhosis can be confirmed through a combination of symptoms, medical history, physical examination and blood tests. A liver biopsy can determine how far along the cirrhosis has advanced.

There is no way to reverse cirrhosis once severe liver damage has occurred, so treatment is mainly focused on preventing further damage to the liver. Factors such as dieting and exercising, abstaining from alcohol, avoiding shellfish and limiting consumption of salt can help reduce further scarring.

People with cirrhosis also should speak with their physician about medications that can help with mental confusion, vitamin K treatments to manage blood clotting, diuretic pills to reduce fluid and antibiotics to reduce infections. More advanced treatments can include endoscopy to reduce enlarged veins in the throat, paracentesis to remove fluid from the abdomen, and the repair of blood flow to the liver using a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.

References:

http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/cirrhosis/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cirrhosis/basics/definition/con-20031617

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000255.htm