What is cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis is the result of long-term, continuous damage to the liver and may be due to many different causes. The damage leads to scarring, known as fibrosis. Irregular bumps (nodules) replace the smooth liver tissue and the liver becomes harder. Together, the scarring and the nodules are called cirrhosis.
When you have cirrhosis, all the chemicals and waste products that the liver has to deal with build up in the body. The liver is now so damaged that the whole body becomes poisoned by the waste products and this stage is known as end-stage liver disease.
No one knows for sure how many people have cirrhosis as most people do not know they have it until the condition is serious. However, there is no doubt that the number of people with the condition continues to increase.
 
Every year over 4,000 people in the UK die from cirrhosis. Around 700 people have to have a liver transplant each year to survive.
Cirrhosis can affect anyone – men and women, young and old. You are most at risk of having cirrhosis if you:
- drink too much alcohol
- have a long-term (chronic) liver infection, such as hepatitis B or hepatitis C
- have an inherited liver disease, such as genetic haemochromatosis