Cirrhosis (of the liver)

Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition in which the liver responds to the injury or death of some of its cells by producing interlacing strands of fibrous tissue, between which are nodules of re-generating cells. The liver therefore becomes tawny and characteristically knobbly (due to the nodules).

There are many possible causes of cirrhosis of the liver.

These can include:

• Alcoholism (alcoholic cirrhosis)
• Viral hepatitis (postnecrotic cirrhosis)
• Chronic obstruction of the common bile duct (secondary bilary cirrhosis)
• Auto-Immune Diseases (chronic aggressive hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis)
• Chronic heart failure (cardiac cirrhosis).

Symptoms & Effects of cirrhosis of the liver may include:

• Portal hypertension
• Ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity)
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Hepatoma

Current conventional medical opinion is that cirrhosis cannot be cured but its progress may be stopped, i.e. it can be prevented from getting worse by removal of the cause.