Cirrhosis of the Liver

Types

Many types of liver disease can lead to cirrhosis:

• Alcoholic cirrhosis. Excess alcohol consumption damages the liver.
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Scarring occurs when liver cells store excess fatty acids.
• Hepatitis-related cirrhosis. Scarring results from chronic viral infections of the liver such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
• Cryptogenic cirrhosis. Scarring has no obvious cause.
• Primary biliary cirrhosis. The immune system attacks cells lining the bile ducts in the liver.
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis. The bile ducts become swollen and scarred, causing them to become blocked.
• Secondary biliary cirrhosis. Damage results from injury to the bile ducts.
• Genetic liver diseases.
• Hemochromatosis. Abnormal iron metabolism causes iron buildup in the liver (and other organs), resulting in scarring.
• Wilson's disease. Abnormal copper metabolism causes copper buildup in the liver (and other organs), resulting in scarring.
• Alpha-1-antitrypsin. The liver produces an abnormal protein that builds up and can cause cirrhosis.