Cirrhosis
Who is at Risk for Developing Cirrhosis?
In the United States, chronic Hepatitis C and heavy alcohol consumption are the most common causes of cirrhosis, although people who have never consumed alcohol can develop cirrhosis. Other risk factors that include genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices all play a role in the risk of developing cirrhosis. However, just because a person is at risk for cirrhosis, doesn’t necessarily mean that he will definitely develop this condition over the course of a normal life span.
Cirrhosis is irreversible scarring of the liver. However, because cirrhosis progresses slowly, it allows a person to obtain treatment from a liver specialist before cirrhosis actually occurs.
References
American Liver Foundation “Cirrhosis” http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/cirrhosis/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Parasites – Schistosomiasis” http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Mayo Clinic “Cirrhosis” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cirrhosis/DS00373/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
Mayo Clinic “Toxic Hepatitis” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/toxic-hepatitis/DS00811/DSECTION=causes Retrieved March 31, 2011
MedicineNet.com “Cachexia” http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11065/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
MedicineNet.com “What is Congestive Heart Failure?” http://www.medicinenet.com/congestive_heart_failure/article.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse “What is Cirrhosis?” http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/index.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
PubMed Health “Cirrhosis” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001301/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
PubMed.gov “Liver Disease in Cystic Fibrosis” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17901760/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
US Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of Health “What is Cystic Fibrosis?” http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cf/cf_what.html Retrieved March 31, 2011
US National Library of Medicine NIH National Institutes of Health “Hepatic Vein Obstruction (Budd-Chiari)” http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000239.htm/ Retrieved March 31, 2011
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