by Pat Rapacchiano

Created on: August 27, 2008

The causes of Cirrhosis of the Liver have been directly related to Alcohol Abuse. In addition, abuse of certain kinds of drugs both illegal and prescription can cause liver damage very similar to cirrhosis from alcoholism.

For over One Hundred years, Doctors have known that Alcohol Abuse can eventually lead to fatty tissues forming on the liver which we commonly know as cirrhosis. It has been established that a woman will develop cirrhosis more quickly than a man will.

Although it is hard to determine who in fact will develop diseases of the Liver. Many studies have been published which state that in some cases 3-5 drinks a day can cause liver disease over a number of years. Some people may drink heavily for many years and never develop any liver problems.

The liver metabolizes alcohol and any drugs that are injested. Drinking in moderation normally will not harm the liver. What actually happens to our body when we develop cirrhosis is very clear.

A heavy drinker may develop cirrhosis after 20-30 years of hard drinking. What happens is, excessive alcohol use begins to kill liver cells and the liver becomes hard and fatty tissue forms on the liver altering and interfering with its function.

Early stages of cirrhosis can be reversible, if the person stops drinking altogether. There are no symptoms of cirrhosis in the early stage. The only way to determine if a person has liver damage/disease is through a blood test.

A blood test will measure the level of liver enzymes present in the blood. When liver disease begins, enzymes produced by the liver spill out into the blood stream and they are detected in a test called a CBC, or "Complete Blood Count".

Even if a person is showing an elevated liver enzyme count, it doesn't mean that they have cirrhosis, other causes may be the culprit.

Repeated alcohol abuse put a strain on the liver causing it to work that much harder, in order to filter and metabolize all the alcohol that was injested. Repeated stress on the liver causes the cells to die and fatty tissue forms.

If a person is able to stop drinking, the liver cells have an excellent chance of regenerating themselves and no long term effects will be evident. Actually, a person can live with only about 40% of their liver function.

Aside from alcohol there are other causes of cirrhosis. If a person develops hepatitus that can quickly lead to cirrhosis of the liver. There could many causes for a person developing hepatitus. Blood Transfusions, injesting tainted seafood, and

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