Cirrhosis is the end stage of chronic liver disease, in which normally functioning liver tissue has been replaced by non-functioning scar tissue. Commonly, the early stages of cirrhosis are asymptomatic, making diagnosis difficult. However, the latter complications are serious and early detection is critical to prolonging survival. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there are two stages of cirrhosis, compensated and decompensated.
Causes
In the United States the most common causes of liver cirrhosis are hepatitis C infection and chronic alcohol consumption. Other major risk factors include obesity, insulin resistance and diseases, such as hemochromatosis. The Merck Manual reports that cirrhosis is the third most common cause of death after heart disease and cancer in people between the ages of 45 and 65.
Early Complications
The Merck Manual mentions that up to one-third of individuals with mild cirrhosis never develop symptoms. Some people with cirrhosis may exhibit weakness and weight loss because fats and fat-soluble vitamin absorption is impaired. Other early symptoms include fatigue, easy bruising and loss of appetite.
Adverse Complications
A less serious, but adverse complication that develops as liver function gradually becomes more impaired is jaundice, which is characterized by a yellowing of the skin, itchiness and the formation of small yellow skin bumps. A normally functioning liver breaks down components of red blood cells. If this process is compromised, the yellow pigment, bilirubin accumulates in the skin and eyes.
Serious Complications
The V.A. states that patients in the decompensated stage of cirrhosis develop either jaundice; bleeding in the esophagus or stomach; edema in the legs and/or abdomen, also known as ascites; or encephalopathy. The Merck Manual notes that liver functioning can be reduced by more than 85 percent before significant complications develop. One of the most serious complications of progressive scarring of the liver is the prevention of blood flow, which causes blood pressure to build up in the portal vein. This increase in pressure is transferred to other vessels in the esophagus and abdomen, causing hemorrhage and potentially serious gastrointestinal bleeding. Portal hypertension is also involved in causing acute renal failure. Other life-threatening complications of liver cirrhosis are edema and hepatic encephalopathy.
Liver Cancer
Cirrhosis is a risk factor for liver cancer. A study published in the "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences" reported that hepatocellular carcinoma develops in between 2.5 and 7 percent of people with liver cirrhosis.
