CirrhosisSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver that results in poor liver function. It is the last stage of chronic liver disease.
Liver cirrhosis; Chronic liver disease; End-stage liver disease; Liver failure - cirrhosis; Ascites - cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is most often the end result of chronic liver damage caused by long-term (chronic) liver disease. Common causes of chronic liver disease in the United States are:
- Hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection.
- Alcohol overuse.
- Buildup of fat in the liver that is NOT caused by drinking too much alcohol (called metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD] or metabolic dysfunction associated steatohepatitis [MASH]). It is closely related to being overweight, having high blood pressure, diabetes or pre-diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Less common causes of cirrhosis include:
- Autoimmune hepatitis (AH): when immune cells mistake the liver's normal cells for harmful invaders and attack them
- Bile duct disorders
- Some medicines
- Liver diseases passed down in families
There may be no symptoms, or symptoms may come on slowly, depending on how well the liver is working. Often, it is discovered by chance when an abdominal ultrasound exam is done or blood is drawn for another reason.
Early symptoms include:
- Fatigue and loss of energy
- Poor appetite and weight loss
- Nausea or belly pain
- Small, red spider-like blood vessels on the skin
As liver function worsens, symptoms may include:
- Fluid buildup in the legs (edema) or in the abdomen (ascites)
- Yellow color in the skin, mucous membranes, or eyes (jaundice)
- Redness on the palms of the hands
- In men, impotence, shrinking of the testicles, and breast swelling
- Easy bruising and abnormal bleeding, most often from swollen veins in the digestive tract
- Confusion or problems thinking
- Pale or clay-colored stools
- Bleeding from upper or lower gastrointestinal tract
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Some things you can do to help take care of your liver disease are:
- Drink no alcohol.
- Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt, fat, and simple carbohydrates.
- Get vaccinated for diseases such as influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A and B, and pneumococcal disease.
- Talk to your provider about all medicines you take, including herbs and supplements and over-the-counter medicines.
- Exercise.
- Control your underlying metabolic problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
MEDICINES FROM YOUR PROVIDER
- Water pills (diuretics) to get rid of fluid build-up.
- Vitamin K or blood products to prevent excess bleeding.
- Medicines for mental confusion.
- Antibiotics for infections.
- Medicines to cure Hepatitis C.
- Medicines to cure Hepatitis B.
- New medicines are being created to treat MASH. Resmetirom (Rezdiffra) was recently approved by the FDA. Your provider can discuss whether you should be treated with this medicine.
OTHER TREATMENTS
- Endoscopic treatments for enlarged veins in the esophagus (varices)
- Removal of fluid from the abdomen (paracentesis)
- Placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) to improve blood flow in the liver
When cirrhosis progresses to end-stage liver disease, a liver transplant may be needed.
BIDMC - Division Of Gastroenterology/Liver Center
Nezam Afdhal is an Internal Medicine provider practicing medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Afdhal is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cirrhosis. He is also highly rated in 20 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Hepatitis C, Hepatitis, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), Liver Transplant, and Endoscopy.
Baylor Scott & White Liver Consultants Of Texas - Waxahachie
Sumeet Asrani, MD, MSc is the Chief of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation at the Baylor Simmons Transplant Institute in Dallas. He has served as the Medical Director of the Center for Advanced Liver Disease since 2016. He provides clinical care at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC) and Baylor Scott and White Medical Center – Waxahachie. Recently, Dr. Asrani has restructured the research enterprise of the Simmons Transplant Institute and has been instrumental in elevating the name of the Institute and Baylor Scott & White as a recognized presence in the national and international academic world. Dr. Asrani received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He did his internship and residency at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. He went on to complete fellowships in gastroenterology, hepatology and transplant hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota before joining the transplant hepatology team at Baylor University Medical Center in 2013. Dr. Asrani has published 140 peer review publications, 300 abstracts and given over 125 national and international presentations. In addition, he has mentored more than 30 trainees to help advance their medical careers. Dr. Asrani previously served as an associate editor for the American Journal of Transplantation (AJT) and as an associate editor for Liver Transplantation (LT). He is actively involved in national and international collaborations to improve care for patients with liver disease. Dr. Asrani specializes in the management of patients with end-stage liver disease, liver transplantation candidates and recipients. His other clinical interests include liver cancer, viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and alcohol associated liver disease. His research interests focus on early identification of patients with cirrhosis, improving quality of patients with liver disease especially in the rural setting, improving kidney function in patients with liver disease and organ allocation. In his free time, Dr, Asrani enjoys various fitness endeavors, playing the drums, and traveling with his wife and four children. Dr. Asrani was recognized by D Magazine as a Best Doctor for 2023, 2024 and 2025. Dr. Asrani is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cirrhosis. He is also highly rated in 20 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Liver Failure, Ascites, Hepatitis, Liver Transplant, and Endoscopy. Dr. Asrani is board certified in Gastroenterology- American Board Of Internal Med/Gastroenterology, Transplant Hepatology- American Board Of Internal Med/Transplant Hepatology, Transplant Hepatology- American Board Of Internal Medicine, and Gastroenterology- American Board Of Internal Medicine.
BIDMC - Division Of Gastroenterology/Liver Center
Alan Bonder is an Internal Medicine provider practicing medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Bonder is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Cirrhosis. He is also highly rated in 26 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Autoimmune Hepatitis, Cholangitis, Primary Biliary Cholangitis, Liver Transplant, and Endoscopy. Dr. Bonder is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine.
You can often ease the stress of illness by joining a liver disease support group whose members share common experiences and problems.
Cirrhosis is caused by scarring of the liver. In most cases, the liver cannot heal or return to normal function once the damage is severe. Cirrhosis can lead to serious complications.
Complications may include:
- Bleeding disorders
- Buildup of fluid in the abdomen (ascites) and infection of the fluid (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis)
- Enlarged veins in the esophagus, stomach, or intestines that bleed easily (varices)
- Increased pressure in the blood vessels of the liver (portal hypertension)
- Kidney failure (hepatorenal syndrome)
- Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
- Mental confusion, change in the level of consciousness, or coma (hepatic encephalopathy)
Contact your provider if you develop symptoms of cirrhosis.
Get emergency medical help right away if you have:
- Abdominal or chest pain
- Abdominal swelling or ascites that is new or suddenly becomes worse
- A fever (temperature greater than 101°F or 38.3°C)
- Diarrhea
- Confusion or a change in alertness, or it gets worse
- Rectal bleeding, vomiting blood, or blood in the urine
- Shortness of breath
- Vomiting more than once a day
- Yellowing skin or eyes (jaundice) that is new or gets worse quickly
DO NOT drink alcohol. Talk to your provider if you are worried about your drinking. Take steps to prevent getting hepatitis B or C or passing it to other people.
Background: DNA is a structure in the body. It contains data about how the body develops and works. Telomeres are found on the end of chromosomes in DNA. Some people with short telomeres or other gene changes can develop diseases of the bone marrow, lung, and liver. Researchers want to see if low doses of the hormone drug danazol can help.
Summary: The aim is to determine the metabolic factors, host immune factors, and medical imaging data associated with the development of HepatoCellular Carcinoma (HCC) in patients with alcohol-related liver disease or dysmetabolic steatosis/Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis. The investigators will include patients with and without cirrhosis in order to identify early molecular mechanisms involved in the develo...
Published Date: January 13, 2026
Published By: Todd Eisner, MD, Private practice specializing in Gastroenterology in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida at Gastroenterology Consultants of Boca Raton. Affiliate Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University School of Medicine. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Garcia-Tsao G. Cirrhosis and its sequelae. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 139.
Kamath PS, Shah VH. Overview of cirrhosis. In: Chung RT, Rubin DT, Wilcox CM, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 76.
Rinella ME, Lazarus JV, Ratziu V, et al. A multisociety Delphi consensus statement on new fatty liver disease nomenclature. J Hepatol. 2023;79(6):1542-1556. PMID: 37354790 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37364790/.
Tiwari A, Sharma A, Kumar H, et al. Resmetirom for MASH: A comprehensive review of a novel therapeutic frontier. Biomedicines. 2025;13(9):2079. PMID: 41007643 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41007643/.