External Symptoms of Liver Cirrhosis

Healthy livers are able to regenerate and heal. Cirrhosis is a liver disease that occurs over time. The first stage of liver disease is characterized by inflammation of the liver. If left untreated or undiagnosed, that inflammation begins to form scar tissue within the liver. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and causes liver dysfunction.

Understanding Cirrhosis

• Scar tissue cannot perform in the same way that your healthy liver tissue can. As a result, your liver's capacity is diminished. It is no longer as effective in controlling infections; filtering toxins and bacteria out of your blood; processing drugs and nutrients; and producing the proteins that contribute to blood clotting. Your liver's bile production is also affected. Bile helps your body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and metabolize fats.

Early External Symptoms

• As the cirrhosis progresses, external symptoms like itchy skin, weight loss and the appearance of spidery blood vessels on the skin's surface begin to emerge. Additional external symptoms include the clubbing of your finger tips, the appearance of small yellow bumps on your skin and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).
  Some additional symptoms at this stage may include nausea/vomiting, changes in appetite, fatigue and weakness.
  Many people who have cirrhosis don't show symptoms in the early stages of the disease.

More Advanced External Symptoms

• Since your body is unable to absorb fat and vitamins as effectively, weight loss is common. Additional external symptoms include atrophy (or wasting) of the muscles, reddening of the palms of your hands (a condition called palmar erythema) and enlargement of your salivary glands. Men often experience atrophy of the testicles, decreased armpit hair and gynecomastia (enlarged breasts). One more external symptom is Dupuytren's contracture, which is caused by the shrinkage of the tendons in your hand, resulting in your fingers curling.
  Internal symptoms include malfunctioning nerves around the central nervous system, enlargement of the spleen, accumulation of fluid in your abdomen and changes in liver size.

Additional Complications

• Because your body's ability to absorb vitamin D is diminished, osteoporosis may develop. Complications of cirrhosis include internal problems. The formation of twisted veins may form in the stomach, rectum or lower portion of the esophagus. If those twisted areas bleed, patients may vomit blood. Kidney failure and diminished brain function are common in end-stage cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis Causes

• Common causes of cirrhosis include obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, hepatitis D, fatty liver disease and any disease that would cause damage to bile ducts. If you have any risk factors for developing cirrhosis, you should talk to your doctor about having regular checkups. Catching any liver disease in the early stages is the only way to prevent permanent damage.