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Definition: cirrhosis from Philip's Encyclopedia

Degenerative disease in which there is excessive growth of fibrous tissue in an organ, most often the liver, causing inflammation and scarring. Cirrhosis of the liver may be caused by viral hepatitis, prolonged obstruction of the common bile duct, chronic abuse of alcohol or other drugs, blood disorder, heart failure or malnutrition.

cirrhosis

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(sӘrō'sӘs), degeneration of tissue in an organ resulting in fibrosis, with nodule and scar formation. The term is most often used in relation to the liver, because that organ is most often involved in cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver interferes with the liver's metabolism of nutrients, detoxification of the blood, bile production, and other normal functions (see liver ); its damage is irreversible. The most prevalent form of cirrhosis of the liver, portal cirrhosis, appears most often in middle-aged males with a history of chronic alcoholism and is caused in part by protein deficiency (specifically choline), a type of malnutrition common in alcoholics. Protein deprivation is also responsible for kwashiorkor , a nutritional deficiency with symptoms resembling those of cirrhosis of the liver. A major cause of cirrhosis worldwide is infection by the hepatitis B virus. Biliary cirrhosis is a type caused by disruption of bile flow and is more common in women. Other causes include…
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Full text Article Cirrhosis

From Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
Cirrhosis is a chronic degenerative disease in which normal liver cells are damaged and are then replaced by scar tissue. It is sometimes described as late-stage hepatic fibrosis. The English word cirrhosis is derived from two Greek words that mean “yellowish” and “condition,” because the diseased…
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Full text Article Cirrhosis

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Senior Health
Liver with cirrhosis. (CNRI/Photo Researchers,...
Cirrhosis, also known as hepatic fibrosis, is a chronic degenerative disease in which normal liver cells are damaged and are then replaced by scar tissue. Cirrhosis is ranked twelfth among the leading causes of disease-related death in the United States. It is significantly more common in men than…
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Full text Article Cirrhosis

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
This cut surface of a gross autopsy specimen of...
Cirrhosis is a chronic degenerative disease in which normal liver cells are damaged and are then replaced by scar tissue. Cirrhosis is the seventh leading cause of disease-related death in the United States. It is the third most common cause of death in adults between the ages of 45 and 65. It is…
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Full text Article cirrhosis

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(sӘrō'sӘs), degeneration of tissue in an organ resulting in fibrosis, with nodule and scar formation. The term is most often used in relation to the liver, because that organ is most often involved in cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver interferes with the liver's metabolism of nutrients, …
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Full text Article Cirrhosis

From Harvard Medical School Health Topics A-Z
Cirrhosis
What Is It? No body organ performs a wider variety of essential jobs than the liver. It: Produces essential proteins that help blood to clot Removes or neutralizes poisons, drugs and alcohol Manufactures bile that helps the body to absorb fats and cholesterol Helps to maintain normal blood sugar…
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Full text Article cirrhosis

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health
A serious liver condition involving extensive scarring and reduced liver functions. Scarring extends throughout the liver, altering tissue structure. This degeneration seems irreversible. Alcoholism is the leading cause of liver cirrhosis. Other causes include malnutrition , chronic hepatitis, rare…
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Full text Article cirrhosis and alcoholism

From The Encyclopedia of Addictions and Addictive Behaviors
Dangerous scarring and inflammation of the liver. According to the American Liver Foundation, the most frequent causes of cirrhosis include the following: hepatitis C alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatitis B. In addition, some individuals are alcoholics who…
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Full text Article Laennec's cirrhosis

From Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary
hepatic cirrhosis in which increased connective tissue spreads out from the portal spaces compressing and distorting the lobules, causing impairment of liver function, and ultimately producing the typical hobnail liver —called also portal cirrhosis Laen*nec \lȧ-en-ek\ René–Théophile–Hyacinthe…
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Full text Article Cirrhosis of the Liver

From Human Diseases and Conditions
ranicle/Shutterstock.com. A liver diseased by...
Cirrhosis (sir-RO-sis) damages liver cells and replaces them with scar tissue that prevents the normal flow of blood through the liver and interferes with many of the liver's vital functions . Many people believe that only heavy drinkers can get cirrhosis of the liver. Although it is true that the…
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Full text Article primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC)

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Autoimmune Diseases
Also known as: chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis; primary autoimmune cholangitis A chronic disease that causes the bile ducts in the liver to become inflamed and damaged and, ultimately, disappear. Bile is a liquid produced in the liver that travels through the bile ducts to the…
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