Summary
- Cirrhosis is the pathological end-stage of any chronic liver disease and most commonly results from chronic hepatitis C and B, alcohol misuse, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- The main complications of cirrhosis are related to the development of liver insufficiency and portal HTN and include ascites, variceal haemorrhage, jaundice, portosystemic encephalopathy, hepatorenal and hepatopulmonary syndromes, and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Once a patient with cirrhosis develops signs of decompensation, survival is significantly impaired.
- The management of cirrhosis is aimed at treating underlying liver disease, avoiding superimposed injury, and managing complications. Timely referral for liver transplantation is the only curative treatment option for patients with decompensated cirrhosis.
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are listed among the 10 leading causes of death in the US.
Other related conditions
- Acute liver failure
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Haemochromatosis
- Wilson's disease
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Type I glycogen storage disease
- Abetalipoproteinaemia
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Biliary atresia
- Cystic fibrosis
- Chronic congestive heart failure
- Alcohol abuse
- Overview of chronic alcoholism
- Obesity in adults
- Pericarditis
- Budd-Chiari syndrome
- Schistosomiasis
- Sarcoidosis
- Assessment of ascites
- Oesophageal varices
- Hepatoma
- Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Hepatorenal syndrome
- Hypogonadism in men
- Osteoporosis
- Osteomalacia
Last updated: Apr 12, 2013
