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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffComplications of cirrhosis can include:
- More frequent infections. If you have cirrhosis, your body may have difficulty fighting infections.
- Malnutrition. Cirrhosis may make it more difficult for your body to process nutrients. This can lead to weakness and weight loss.
- High levels of toxins in the blood (hepatic encephalopathy). A liver damaged by cirrhosis isn't able to clear toxins from the blood as well as a healthy liver can. Toxins in the blood can cause confusion and difficulty concentrating. With time, hepatic encephalopathy can progress to unresponsiveness or coma.
- Increasing pressure in the main vein bringing blood to the liver (portal hypertension). Scar tissue can make it difficult for blood to flow freely through the liver. This causes increased pressure in the portal vein, which causes blood to be redirected to smaller veins near the liver. Those smaller veins may become overwhelmed by the pressure and can burst, causing serious bleeding. Building pressure in the veins of your esophagus is called esophageal varices. In the stomach this is called gastric varices.
- Increased risk of liver cancer. Cirrhosis can increase your risk of liver cancer. For this reason, your doctor may recommend regular ultrasound examinations of your liver to look for abnormalities.
References
- Bonis PAL, et al. Patient information: Cirrhosis. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Goldberg E, et al. Overview of the complications, prognosis and management of cirrhosis. http://www.uptodate.com. Accessed Dec. 16, 2008.
- Cirrhosis basics. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/frame-templates/print_template.cfm. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Kelso LN. Cirrhosis: Caring for patients with end-stage liver failure. The Nurse Practitioner. 2008;33:24.
- McNally PR, et al. Common GI problems: Volume 3. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/cgp/cgpvol3.asp?mode=print&. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Cirrhosis. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/cirrhosis/. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Liver health tips. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/LiverHealthTips.aspx. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Rambaldi A, et al. S-adenosyl-L-methionine for alcoholic liver disease (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD002235.
- Seeff LB. Herbal hepatotoxicity. Clinics in Liver Disease. 2007;11:577.
- Tillisch K. Complementary and alternative medicine for gastrointestinal disorders. Clinical Medicine. 2007;7:224.
- Rambaldi A, et al. Milk thistle for alcoholic and/or hepatitis B or C virus liver diseases (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD003620.
