Cirrhosis Scientific Journals
When something attacks and damages the liver, liver
cells are killed and scar tissue is formed. This scarring process is called fibrosis (pronounced “fi-bro-sis”), and it happens slowly over many years. When the whole liver is scarred, it shrinks and hardens. This is called cirrhosis, and usually this damage cannot be undone. Any illness that affects the liver over a long period of time may lead to fibrosis and, eventually, cirrhosis. Heavy drinking and
viruses (like
hepatitis C or B) are common causes of cirrhosis. However, there are other causes as well.
Cirrhosis may be caused by a buildup of fat in the liver of people who are overweight or have diabetes. Some people inherit genes that cause liver disease. Other causes include certain prescribed and over-the-counter medicines,
environmental poisons, and autoimmune hepatitis, a condition in which a person’s own
immune system attacks the liver as if it were a foreign body.
Cirrhosis causes the liver to become lumpy and stiff. This prevents blood from flowing through the liver easily and causes the build-up of pressure in the portal vein, the vein that brings blood to the liver. High pressure in the portal vein is called portal hypertension. To relieve this pressure, the blood goes around the portal vein, through other veins. Some of these veins, called varices, can be found in the pipe that carries food from your mouth to your stomach (the esophagus) or in your stomach itself.
High Impact List of Articles
Relevant Topics in Clinical