One cause of cirrhosis is long-term alcohol abuse + Chronic alcoholism is the first most common cause of cirrhosis in the United States. Toxins and alcohol are broken down by the liver. However, if the amount of alcohol is too high, the liver will swell. The liver will have to work twice as hard and the liver cells can eventually become damaged. Heavy, regular, long-term drinkers are much more likely to develop cirrhosis, compared with other, healthy people. The amount of alcohol it takes to damage the liver varies from person to person. Research suggests that drinking two or fewer drinks a day for women and three or fewer drinks a day for men may not injure the liver. Drinking more than these amounts leads to fat and inflammation in the liver,
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Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infection that can damage the liver and cause it to swell, eventually leading to cirrhosis. Hepatitis C virus spreads through contact with infected blood, such as form of needlestick accident, injection drug use, or receiving blood transfusion. Also, Hepatitis C can be spread through sexual contact with an infected person or at time of childbirth, from mother to newborn. About 1 in 4 people with chronic hepatitis C develop cirrhosis. Hepatitis B also causes cirrhosis but it’s not as common or widespread as Hepatitis C and it’s most common in other parts of the world, such as in Africa and …show more content…
Here, the liver is attacked. The immune system job is to protect people from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances. The body’s immune system attacks liver cell and causes inflammation, damage, and eventually cirrhosis. • Destruction of the bile ducts (primary biliary cirrhosis) - Several diseases can damage, destroy, or block the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine, causing bile to back up in the liver and lead to cirrhosis. The most common in adult is primary biliary cirrhosis- this is a chronic disease that causes the small bile ducts in the liver to become inflamed and damaged and ultimately disappear. Also, another is hardening and scarring of the bile ducts (primary sclerosing cholangitis) - this is a disease that causes irritation, scarring, and narrowing of the larger bile ducts of the liver. Cystic fibrosis and Gallstones are two conditions that can also lead to bile duct
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infection that can damage the liver and cause it to swell, eventually leading to cirrhosis. Hepatitis C virus spreads through contact with infected blood, such as form of needlestick accident, injection drug use, or receiving blood transfusion. Also, Hepatitis C can be spread through sexual contact with an infected person or at time of childbirth, from mother to newborn. About 1 in 4 people with chronic hepatitis C develop cirrhosis. Hepatitis B also causes cirrhosis but it’s not as common or widespread as Hepatitis C and it’s most common in other parts of the world, such as in Africa and …show more content…
Here, the liver is attacked. The immune system job is to protect people from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances. The body’s immune system attacks liver cell and causes inflammation, damage, and eventually cirrhosis. • Destruction of the bile ducts (primary biliary cirrhosis) - Several diseases can damage, destroy, or block the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine, causing bile to back up in the liver and lead to cirrhosis. The most common in adult is primary biliary cirrhosis- this is a chronic disease that causes the small bile ducts in the liver to become inflamed and damaged and ultimately disappear. Also, another is hardening and scarring of the bile ducts (primary sclerosing cholangitis) - this is a disease that causes irritation, scarring, and narrowing of the larger bile ducts of the liver. Cystic fibrosis and Gallstones are two conditions that can also lead to bile duct