Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a condition that occurs when chronic diseases cause permanent damage or injury to the liver. The liver is the largest organ in the body weighing about four pounds and is located in the upper right side of the abdomen, below the ribs. The liver is responsible for performing more functions than any other organ in the body, such as metabolizing the food we eat, filtering and detoxifying poisons in our blood to remove numerous toxic compounds, producing immune agents to control infection and regenerating itself when part of it has been damaged. The scar tissue that forms in cirrhosis harms the structure of the liver, blocking the flow of blood through the organ. It also slows the processing of nutrients, proteins, hormones, drugs, toxins and other substances produced by the liver.

About 25,000 people die from cirrhosis annually, making it the 11th leading cause of death by disease in the United States. Cirrhosis has many causes, but in the U.S., chronic alcoholism and hepatitis C are among the most common. Almost one-half of all cirrhosis deaths are due to excessive alcohol use. Other causes of the disease include chronic hepatitis B and D, autoimmune hepatitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), blocked bile ducts, drugs, toxins, infections and certain inherited metabolic diseases such as Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, galactosemia and glycogen storage diseases.

At UCSF Medical Center experts treat cirrhosis by stopping or delaying the damage to the liver and preventing complications, such as liver failure. Our team of digestive disorder experts works closely with liver transplant specialists when complications progress to the point of possible liver failure.

For more information or to make an appointment, please contact:

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated February 14, 2008