- What does it mean if I am told I have cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis is a scary word. It means different things to different people.
In the past, cirrhosis was caused by drinking too much alcohol, people became sick, turned yellow, and then died. At autopsy would show a hard, lumpy liver. When you looked under the microscope, most of the liver was replaced by scar tissue.
Source: www.hivandhepatitis.com
In the present, we now know that many things can damage the liver to cause cirrhosis. The commonest causes in Toronto are probably hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and fatty liver (either from alcohol or from obesity). We also know that it takes many years, if not decades, to cause so much damage that you finally get cirrhosis. Scar tissue can lessen if you treat the cause of liver injury. The picture on the left shows biopsies from a man before and after controlling hepatitis B with medications. The blue/green is scar tissue and the purple/red is liver. Technically, this man still has cirrhosis even though the scar has disappeared. The liver has already been badly damaged and he remains at risk for liver cancer. The difference is that he is unlikely to develop liver failure.
More importantly, we have learned to recognize cirrhosis a lot earlier - years before you develop any symptoms, let alone become sick. Someone with early cirrhosis could easily live another 10-15 years feeling completely well! However, if the damage is allowed to continue, the liver can eventually fail. Fortunately, many causes of cirrhosis are now treatable. With treatment, we can prevent the liver from getting worse. The other reason it is important to recognize cirrhosis early is that these people are at risk for liver cancer and they need to have an ultrasound every 6 months.
Read on to learn more about liver cancer.