Anything that causes severe ongoing injury to the liver can lead to cirrhosis. It is marked by cell death and scar formation and is a progressive disease that creates irreversible damage.
Cirrhosis is treated by trying to limit further damage. If it is caused by a virus or another treatable cause of liver injury, treating the cause can stabilize the disease and prevent deterioration in liver function.
Cirrhosis has no signs or symptoms in its early stages, but as it progresses, it can cause fluid build-up in the abdomen, muscle wasting, bleeding from the intestines, easy bruising, enlargement of the breasts in men, and a number of other problems.
