Cirrhosis of the Liver
Also see Causes of Cirrhosis
What is cirrhosis of the liver?
When non-medical people talk about cirrhosis,
they usually call it "cirrhosis of the liver." But medically
speaking, cirrhosis only occurs in the liver so there's no need
to add the words "of the liver" to the word "cirrhosis."
But however you refer to it, as cirrhosis of
the liver or simply as cirrhosis, it's bad news. Cirrhosis
kills about 26,000 people a year in the United States alone,
and is the twelfth leading cause of death by disease.
To understand what cirrhosis is, you need to
know a little bit about how the liver works.
The liver performs multiple metabolic functions
in the human body, and you literally can't live without it. One
of the most important functions of the liver is "garbage
disposal." The liver removes germs and bacteria from the blood,
neutralizes poisons in the blood, and produces the chemicals
that help control infection. It produces bile, which works to
absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. The liver also
manufactures proteins that regulate blood clotting.
Cirrhosis occurs when scar tissue replaces
normal, healthy liver tissue. This scar tissue blocks the flow
of blood through the liver and prevents it from "disposing of
the garbage."
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