May 2, 2019 | The largest organ inside your body, the liver is also one of the most important. It has many jobs, including changing food into energy and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood. The liver also processes the medications we take and makes bile, a yellowish-green liquid that is essential for the digestion of fats. Nearly all the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines passes through the liver before reaching the rest of your body. Cirrhosis, a potentially life-threatening condition that causes liver failure, refers to the replacement of normal liver tissue with non-living scar tissue. The process begins with inflammation caused by long-term liver disease. After many months or years of inflammation, the liver’s healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue. As cirrhosis continues, the liver is not left with enough functioning tissue to perform properly. If the process of cirrhosis is not slowed or stopped, the liver will not be able to perform its important functions.

May 2, 2019 | The liver is the only human organ that can regenerate itself. Cirrhosis occurs in response to chronic damage to the liver. With mild cirrhosis, the liver can make repairs and continue its role in the body. But with more advanced cirrhosis, more and more scar tissue forms in the liver, making it impossible to function. Someone with cirrhosis will often display no signs or symptoms of the condition until liver damage is extensive. When symptoms do occur, they may include fatigue, loss of appetite and swelling in the legs. Bleeding and bruising that occur as a result of mild contact and weight loss, as well as an accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, may be signs of possible cirrhosis. As liver function deteriorates, one or more complications may develop. If cirrhosis prevents bile from flowing freely to and from the gallbladder, the bile hardens as gallstones. Cirrhosis can also cause kidney and lung failure, known as hepatorenal and hepatopulmonary syndromes.

May 2, 2019 | The most common causes of cirrhosis of the liver are heavy consumption of alcohol and chronic hepatitis C. Most people who consume alcohol do not suffer liver damage but heavy use over several years can cause chronic injury to this vital organ. The amount of alcohol it takes to damage the liver varies from person to person. For women, consuming two to three drinks, including beer and wine, per day and for men, three to four drinks per day, can lead to liver damage and cirrhosis. In the past, alcohol-related cirrhosis led to more deaths than cirrhosis due to any other cause although deaths caused by obesity-related cirrhosis are increasing. The hepatitis C virus is a liver infection spread by contact with an infected person’s blood. Chronic hepatitis C causes inflammation and damage to the liver over time that can lead to cirrhosis. Other causes include drug reactions, parasitic infections and repeated bouts of heart failure with liver congestion.

May 2, 2019 | Treatment for cirrhosis depends on the cause of the disease and whether any complications are present. The goals of treatment are to slow the progression of scar tissue in the liver and prevent or treat the complications of the disease. Because malnutrition is common in people with cirrhosis, a healthy diet is important in all stages of the disease. Health care providers recommend a meal plan that is well balanced. A person with cirrhosis should not eat raw shellfish, which can contain a bacterium that causes serious infection. To improve nutrition, the doctor may add a liquid supplement taken by mouth or through a nasogastric tube, which is inserted through the nose and throat and reaches into the stomach. People with cirrhosis are encouraged not to consume any alcohol or illicit substances, as both will cause more liver damage. Because many medications can affect liver function, a doctor should be consulted before taking them.

May 2, 2019 | A liver transplant is considered when cirrhosis’ complications cannot be controlled by treatment. Liver transplantation is a major operation in which the diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy one from a deceased donor or with part of a liver from a living donor. A team of health professionals determines the risks and benefits of the procedure for each patient. Survival rates have improved over the past several years because of drugs that suppress the immune system and keep it from attacking the new liver. The number of people who need a liver transplant far exceeds the number of available organs. A person needing a transplant must go through a complicated evaluation process before being added to a waiting list. Generally, organs are given to people with the best chance of living the longest after a transplant. Survival after a transplant requires intensive follow-up and cooperation on the part of the patient and caregiver.