Stages of Liver Cirrhosis
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Cirrhosis
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The liver serves many important functions in the body. Filtering toxins from the blood, making a variety of proteins, fighting infection and a slew of other responsibilities are all taken care of by the liver. However, like any other organ, the liver can get damaged. When the tissues of the liver are damaged, they're replaced with scar tissue. This is referred to as cirrhosis of the liver, and it can be a dangerous condition. Scar tissue cannot fulfill the roles of healthy tissue, and as such, the worse liver cirrhosis gets, the more in danger the person becomes.
Early Stages
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In its early stages, cirrhosis of the liver will cause the liver to swell. This is due to the increased blood flow to the liver as scar tissue is first built. Early cirrhosis may have no outward signs at all, because liver function hasn't yet begun to be impaired. Causes such as excessive drinking and alcoholism, hepatitis B and certain blood infections can all jump start this scarring of the liver. In these early stages, cirrhosis of the liver is unlikely to be detected by doctors, unless they are specifically looking for it.
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Later Stages
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As cirrhosis of the liver progresses, and the scarring becomes heavier, certain symptoms may appear. These include increased blood pressure, increased vein size, kidney problems and in some people, their skin and the whites of their eyes may grow yellow, a condition known as jaundice. As the liver scarring becomes more total, the liver will shrink and begin to fail. It's at these later stages, once the symptoms have manifested, that doctors fully realize the patient's condition and may try to halt it before it grows worse. If cirrhosis goes too far, then a liver transplant will be necessary.
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