Cirrhosis - Risk Factors

Symptoms

Cirrhosis is divided into two stages: Compensated and decompensated.

• Compensated cirrhosis means that the body still functions fairly well despite scarring of the liver. Many people with compensated cirrhosis experience few or no symptoms.
• Decompensated cirrhosis means that the severe scarring of the liver has damaged and disrupted essential body functions. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis develop many serious and life-threatening symptoms and complications.

Early symptoms of compensated cirrhosis may include:

• Fatigue and loss of energy
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Nausea or abdominal pain
• Spider angiomas may develop on the skin. These are pinhead-sized red spots from which tiny blood vessels radiate.

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As cirrhosis progresses to a decompensated stage, patients may develop the following symptoms:

• Fluid buildup in the legs and feet (edema) and in the abdomen (ascites). (Ascites is associated with portal hypertension, which is described in the Complications section of this report.)
• Jaundice. This yellowish cast to the skin and eyes occurs because the liver cannot process bilirubin for elimination from the body.

• Itching. Itching (pruritus) develops from buildup of bile products.
• The palms of the hands may be reddish and blotchy, a condition known as palmar erythema
• In men, swelling of breasts or shrinkage of the testicles may occur.
• Easy bruising and excessive bleeding may occur.

Review Date: 11/04/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).