MedlinePlus: Cirrhosis

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- Services and providers for Cirrhosis in the U.S.
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National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Cirrhosis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Cirrhosis

Also called: Hepatic fibrosis

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver. Scar tissue forms because of injury or long-term disease. Scar tissue cannot do what healthy liver tissue does - make protein, help fight infections, clean the blood, help digest food and store energy. Cirrhosis can lead to

Easy bruising or bleeding, or nosebleeds
Swelling of the abdomen or legs
Extra sensitivity to medicines
High blood pressure in the vein entering the liver
Enlarged veins in the esophagus and stomach
Kidney failure

About 5 percent of people with cirrhosis get liver cancer.

Cirrhosis has many causes. In the United States, the most common causes are chronic alcoholism and hepatitis. Nothing will make the scar tissue disappear, but treating the cause can keep it from getting worse. If too much scar tissue forms, you may need to consider a liver transplant.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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What I Need to Know about Cirrhosis of the Liver(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Diagnosis/Symptoms Treatment	Alternative Therapy Specific Conditions Related Issues	No links available
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Journal Articles	Organizations Statistics	Children

Overviews
- Cirrhosis(American Liver Foundation)
- Cirrhosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cirrhosis of the Liver(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  Also available in Spanish
Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Abdominal Ultrasound(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
  Also available in Spanish
- Liver Biopsy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Liver Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Treatment
- Interventional Treatments for Liver Disease(Society of Interventional Radiology)
Alternative Therapy
- Milk Thistle(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
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Specific Conditions
- Alcohol Induced Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation)
- Alcoholic Hepatitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Primary Biliary Cirrhosis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Primary Biliary Cirrhosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Related Issues
- Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension(American Academy of Family Physicians)
  Also available in Spanish
- Esophageal Varices(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Hemochromatosis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- JAMA Patient Page: Abdominal Paracentesis(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF
  Also available in Spanish
- Jaundice(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver Cirrhosis(National Institutes of Health)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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Statistics
- Deaths from Cirrhosis of the Liver(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)
- FASTATS: Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis(National Center for Health Statistics)
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Children
- What Is Cirrhosis?(Children's Liver Association for Support Services)
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