Cirrhosis (patient information)

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What is cirrhosis?

How do I know if I have cirrhosis and what are the symptoms of cirrhosis?

Early cirrhosis does not have any symptoms. However, as the disease progresses, a person may experience the following symptoms:

Fatigue and weakness
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Weight loss
Abdominal pain and bloating when fluid accumulates in the abdomen
Itching
Bleeding easily, even gastrointestinal bleeding
Jaundice
Spiderlike blood vessels on the skin
Confusion

Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Who is at risk for cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis can be caused by many things, some known and others unknown:

Chronic alcohol abuse: This is the most common cause of cirrhosis in the United States and other western countries.
Chronic Hepatitis B and C viruses and perhaps other viruses, can damage the liver over a prolonged time and eventually cause cirrhosis. This is the most common cause of cirrhosis in some Asian countries.
Autoimmune hepatitis: The body's protective antibodies injure the liver cells because they fail to recognize the liver as its own tissue.
Chronic bile duct blockage
Wilson's Disease or hemochromatosis: Tetals are present in all body cells. When abnormal amounts of them accumulate in the liver, scarring and cirrhosis may develop.
Cystic fibrosis and Alpha l-antitrypsin deficiency
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Drugs and toxins: Studies demonstrate that prolonged exposure to certain chemicals or drugs can damage the liver.

How to know you have cirrhosis?

Blood tests: Blood tests such as a complete blood count, bilirubin test, coagulation study and liver function tests to determine the cause of cirrhosis, and assess liver function and coagulation function.
Imaging procedures and liver biopsy: Images studies such as ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can show the constructure of liver and organs nearby. These images tests can also be used to guide biopsy and a biopsy sample is usually removed and looked at under a microscope by a pathologist. Liver biopsy can tell valuable information about the disease.

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if symptoms of cirrhosis develop. If you experience either of the following symptoms, seeking urgent medical care as soon as possible: