Cirrhosis of the liver, what is it exactly? Cirrhosis is chronic liver damage that leads to scarring and possible liver failure. The scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and therefore makes the liver work harder. The process of breaking down nutrients, hormones, drugs and natural toxins (poisons) is slowed down substantially. Cirrhosis eventually keeps the liver from working properly. Each stage of cirrhosis has different levels of side effects. The longer left untreated, “liver function gets worse, other more commonly recognized symptoms of cirrhosis appear including:
Easy bruising and bleeding.
Yellow tint to your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice).
Itchy skin.
Swelling (edema) in your legs, feet and ankles.
Fluid buildup in your belly/abdomen (ascites).
Brownish or orange color to your urine.
Light-colored stools.
Confusion, difficulty thinking, memory loss, personality changes.
Blood in your stool.
Redness in the palms of your hands.
Spider-like blood vessels that surround small, red spots on your skin (telangiectasias).
In men: loss of sex drive, enlarged breasts (gynecomastia), shrunken testicles.
In women: premature menopause (no longer having your menstrual period.)"(Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
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