What is Cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis is the late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. Every time your liver is injured -- whether by disease, excessive alcohol consumption, or fat toxicity -- it tries to repair itself. In the process, scar tissue forms. As cirrhosis progresses, more and more healthy liver tissue is replaced by hard, permanent scar tissue, severely restricting blood flow and stopping the liver from functioning.

Common Causes

Untreated Metabolic Liver Disease (MASH), chronic heavy alcohol use, unmanaged chronic viral hepatitis (B or C), and autoimmune liver conditions.

Symptoms of Advanced Cirrhosis

While early scarring is often silent, advanced cirrhosis can cause jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), easy bruising and bleeding, severe fluid retention in the abdomen (ascites) or legs, and confusion and memory issues due to a buildup of toxins in the blood.

Specialist Management

While cirrhosis is permanent, we can often halt its progression by treating the underlying cause. Patients with cirrhosis require specialized, lifelong surveillance. This includes regular liver ultrasounds to screen for liver cancer, and routine gastroscopies to check for and treat enlarged, dangerous blood vessels in the food pipe (oesophageal varices) that can bleed unexpectedly.