Ask Our Experts
Get answers to your specific medical questions from UM Medical Center experts.
Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis via e-mail.
Related Content
Cirrhosis
Description
An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cirrhosis
Symptoms
Many people experience few symptoms at the onset of cirrhosis.
Early symptoms include:
- Fatigue and loss of energy.
- Loss of appetite and nausea.
- Spider angiomas may develop on the skin. These are pinhead-sized red spots from which tiny blood vessels radiate.
Patients in later stages may develop the following symptoms:
- Jaundice. This yellowish cast to the skin and eyes occurs because the liver cannot process bilirubin for elimination from the body.
Jaundice is a condition produced when excess amounts of bilirubin circulating in the blood stream dissolve in the subcutaneous fat (the layer of fat just beneath the skin), causing a yellowish appearance of the skin and the whites of the eyes. With the exception of normal newborn jaundice in the first week of life, all other jaundice indicates overload or damage to the liver, or inability to move bilirubin from the liver through the biliary tract to the gut.
- The palms of the hands may be reddish and blotchy, a condition known as palmar erythema.
- Loss of body hair.
- Abnormalities in hormone-affected organs. In men with alcoholic cirrhosis, the testicles may atrophy, and their breasts may become swollen, sometimes painfully.
- Ascites . A swollen belly is a sign of ascites, the most common major complication of cirrhosis, which occurs when fluid accumulates in the abdomen. Fever, abdominal pain, and tenderness when the belly is pressed indicate that the fluid is infected, but infection can occur without any symptoms.
- Fluid buildup and swelling (edema) in legs.
Symptoms of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
People with primary biliary cirrhosis are subject to severe generalized itching and often develop small fatty yellow lumps called xanthomas on the eyelids, hands, and elbows. They may have an unpleasant condition called steatorrhea, in which the feces contain excessive fat, causing them to float and to be very foul smelling.
- Review Date: 8/18/2006
- Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
|
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch). |
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Email this Page
Print this Page