Cirrhosis is a late-stage liver disease that occurs when scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue.
Each time your liver is injured, it tries to repair itself. This results in scar tissue, which continues to grow as cirrhosis progresses. Scar tissue prevents your liver from functioning properly because it blocks blood flow to the liver.
Liver damage from cirrhosis can’t be undone, but further damage can be limited if the disease is diagnosed early and treated.
Cirrhosis Symptoms
Symptoms of cirrhosis depend on the stage of disease. Early cirrhosis may present no symptoms at all, but some signs could include:
- Fatigue
- Easily bleeding or bruising
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Edema (swelling in legs, feet or ankles)
- Weight loss
- Itchy skin
- Jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes)
- Ascites (fluid buildup in your abdomen)
- Spiderlike blood vessels on your skin
- Redness in hands
- For women, absence or loss of periods not related to menopause
- For men, loss of sex drive, breast enlargement (gynecomastia), or testicular atrophy
- Confusion, drowsiness, and slurred speech
Cirrhosis Causes
Anything that causes damage to the liver can cause cirrhosis, however, the most common causes include:
- Chronic alcohol abuse
- Chronic viral hepatitis B, C and D
- Fatty liver, usually associated with obesity and diabetes
- Iron buildup in the body
- Cystic fibrosis
- Wilson’s disease (extra copper in the liver)
- Poorly formed bile ducts, destruction of the bile ducts or hardening and scarring of the bile ducts
- Inherited disorders of sugar metabolism such as galactosemia or glycogen storage disease
- Genetic digestive disorder
- Autoimmune hepatitis (a liver disease caused by your body’s immune system )
- Infections like syphilis or brucellosis
- Medications (including methotrexate or isoniazid)
Cirrhosis Prevention
Steps you can take to reduce your risk of cirrhosis include:
- Limit or avoid alcohol if you have a liver disease
- Eat a healthy diet filled with fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins
- Reduce fatty or fried foods
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce your risk of hepatitis and get your hepatitis vaccinations
For more information on cirrhosis, visit www.MayoClinic.org.
