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Health conditions common in Latinas:

Breast cancer Cancer Cervical cancer Cirrhosis and liver disease Diabetes Heart disease High blood pressure High cholesterol HIV/AIDS Lupus Mental health problems and suicide Osteoporosis Overweight and obesity Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Smoking Stroke Tuberculosis (TB) Violence

Cirrhosis and liver disease

• More information on cirrhosis and liver disease in English
• Más recursos en español (Additional resources in Spanish)

Cirrhosis (suh-ROH-suhss) is scarring of the liver. Scar tissue forms because of injury or diseases you have had for a long time. Scar tissue cannot do what healthy liver tissue does. This includes changing food into energy and cleaning the blood.

People with cirrhosis may have no symptoms in the early stages. As cirrhosis progresses you may:

• Feel tired or weak
• Lose your appetite
• Feel sick to your stomach
• Lose weight

If too much scarring happens, your liver will stop working, and you will need a liver transplant. About 5 percent of people with cirrhosis also get liver cancer.

In the United States, the most common causes of cirrhosis are drinking too much alcohol and hepatitis. Although Latinas have lower rates of alcohol use than other groups of women, they still have high rates of cirrhosis. This may be explained, in part, by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is common in Latinos and can cause cirrhosis. NAFLD is a buildup of fat in the liver in people who drink little or no alcohol. Ethnicity may play a role in the tendency of Latinos to develop NALFD. This group also has high rates of obesity and diabetes, which are among the risk factors for NAFLD.

Once you have cirrhosis, nothing can make the scar tissue go away completely. However, treating the cause will keep cirrhosis from getting worse. For instance, if cirrhosis is caused by alcohol use, the treatment is to stop drinking completely. You also can take steps to keep liver disease from progressing to cirrhosis:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can make several liver diseases worse.
• Eat low-fat, well-balanced meals.
• Make physical activity a habit. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:
  • 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • A combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity
    and
    
  • Muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week
• Do not drink alcohol. Alcohol can harm liver cells, and chronic alcohol use is one of the major causes of cirrhosis.
• Stay away from illegal (street) drugs. These can increase your chances of getting some types of hepatitis.
• Follow the treatment plan advised by your doctor.

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More information on cirrhosis and liver disease in English

Explore other publications and websites

• Autoimmune liver disease panel — This fact sheet discusses autoimmune liver disease panels, including information on why and how they might be performed, what you should expect, and what the results might mean.
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/003328.htm
• Caring for Your Liver (Copyright © The Well Project) — This publication discusses the functions of the liver in the body and why it’s important for people with HIV to monitor the health of their liver. It provides information on ways people with HIV can take better care of themselves to preserve liver function.
  http://www.thewellproject.org/en_US/Diseases_and_Conditions/Other_Diseases_and_Conditions/Caring_for_your_Liver.jsp
• Cirrhosis — This resource gives an overview of cirrhosis and provides helpful links to other publications and organizations.
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cirrhosis.html
• Primary Biliary Cirrhosis — This publications provides information regarding primary biliary cirrhosis, a liver disease that slowly destroys the bile ducts in the liver.
  http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/primarybiliarycirrhosis/index.htm
• What I Need to Know About Cirrhosis of the Liver — This fact sheet discusses the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of cirrhosis of the liver.
  http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis_ez/

Connect with other organizations

• American Liver Foundation
  http://www.liverfoundation.org/
• National Council of La Raza
  http://www.nclr.org/
• National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
  http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm
• National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention
  http://nlcatp.org
• Office of Minority Health, HHS
  http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/

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Más recursos en español (Additional resources in Spanish)

Content last updated May 18, 2010.

Resources last updated May 18, 2010.

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