Cirrhosis of the liver is a long-term (chronic) condition where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. This “hardening” of the liver prevents the liver from working properly resulting in poor liver function and the development of other liver-related conditions.
In most cases, the liver is able to regenerate new cells when they are damaged. However, after a prolonged duration of liver damage, this ability is lost, leading to the formation of the scar tissues. This, in turn, leads to the formation of the scar tissues. Common causes include Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) – also known as fatty liver disease – chronic alcohol use, hepatitis B and C infections, and other genetic or auto-immune conditions.
Left unchecked, this can lead to complications from liver failure or the development of liver cancer.
