At the beginning, fibrosis is often asymptomatic, even when it reaches the cirrhosis level. In that case we call it compensated cirrhosis, meaning not that your body has found ways to able to adapt to the liver disease.
It can be discovered during a routine exam. With the evolution of the cirrhosis, we can go from a compensated cirrhosis to a decompensated one and then there will might be complications:
- Portal hypertension hampers the venous circulation, causing increased pressure in the portal vein. It can also be responsible for hemorrhages via the rupture of esophageal varicose.*
- Ascites is the appearance of an excess of liquid in the abdominal cavity and it can get infected.
- Icterus, more commonly known as jaundice, is a yellowing of the skin and other tissues due to increased bilirubin in the blood.
- Hepatic encephalopathy is a neurological disorder related to non-eliminated toxic accumulation.
- The primary liver cancer, also called “hepatocellular carcinoma”, is a final complication of cirrhosis and can stay asymptomatic for a long time.
To have a better understanding of liver cirrhosis, feel free to watch this video :
