How Cirrhosis Is Treated: Treating the Cause, Preventing Complications and Planning Ahead

The appointment usually ends with a word the person did not expect to hear about themselves. Cirrhosis. Then a pause, a folder of leaflets, and a drive home spent wondering whether the liver is already past saving and what, exactly, anyone can do about it now.

Quite a lot, as it turns out, though not always in the way people imagine. When patients ask how is cirrhosis treated, they often picture a single operation or a pill that dissolves scar tissue. The reality is more like maintaining an old house on a slope: stop the water that caused the damage, shore up the weak points before they fail, and have an honest plan for what happens if the foundation gives way.

This explainer walks through those three jobs using guideline-level evidence, names the myths that cost people time, and ends with the warning signs that should never wait until the next scheduled visit.

How is cirrhosis treated? The three jobs every treatment plan has to do

Cirrhosis is the late stage of liver scarring, where bands of fibrous tissue have replaced enough healthy cells that the organ’s shape and blood flow are altered. Treatment cannot rebuild the liver you had at twenty. What it can do is protect the liver you have left, and that protection rests on three jobs.

The first job is to treat the cause. Whatever drove the scarring keeps driving it until it is stopped, whether that is alcohol, a hepatitis virus, fat and inflammation linked to metabolic disease, an autoimmune attack, or an inherited disorder of iron or copper handling. According to the NIH’s National Institute of Digestive and Kidney Diseases, treating the underlying cause is what keeps cirrhosis from getting worse.

The second job is to prevent and manage complications. A scarred liver raises pressure in the portal vein, the large vessel carrying blood from the gut to the liver. That pressure, called portal hypertension, is behind swollen veins in the food pipe, fluid in the abdomen and much of the confusion that can develop. Most day-to-day cirrhosis care is really portal hypertension care.

The third job is planning ahead. That includes regular scans to catch liver cancer early, vaccinations, medication reviews and, for some people, a conversation about liver transplant long before it becomes urgent. It also means talking about what matters to the person if the disease progresses.

Every plan blends these three jobs in different proportions. Someone with early, quiet cirrhosis from hepatitis C may need mainly the first job. Someone whose abdomen has filled with fluid needs all three at once. The mix is set by the treating team, not by the diagnosis alone.

Can cirrhosis be reversed? What actually happens inside a scarred liver

Picture a healthy liver as a sponge with billions of channels. Blood filters through, cells clean it, make proteins, store energy and process medicines. In cirrhosis, repeated injury triggers repair that overshoots. Specialized cells lay down collagen, the same protein in scar tissue on skin, and the sponge becomes a lumpy, stiff mass with fewer working cells and narrower channels.

Two consequences follow. Blood backs up, raising portal pressure. And the remaining cells struggle to do their work, so clotting proteins fall, toxins such as ammonia accumulate, and bilirubin, the yellow pigment normally cleared by the liver, can build up as jaundice.

So can cirrhosis be reversed? The honest answer sits between the two extremes people tend to hear. Mayo Clinic and the NIH both describe cirrhosis damage as generally not reversible, while noting that if the cause is treated early, further damage can be limited or stopped. Clinicians do see improvement in liver function and, in some people, a reduction in stiffness on scans once the cause is removed. What they do not promise is a return to a normal liver.

The practical point is that stopping the injury is the closest thing to a rewind button that exists. A liver that is no longer being attacked can compensate remarkably well, sometimes for many years. That is why the first job in every plan is treating the cause, and why the sooner it is addressed, the more working tissue there is to protect.

Treating the cause: alcohol-related cirrhosis and viral hepatitis

For alcohol-related cirrhosis, the treatment with the strongest evidence is complete and permanent abstinence. The NHS is unambiguous: people with cirrhosis should not drink alcohol at all, regardless of the original cause, because even small amounts add injury to a liver with little reserve. Cutting down is not the goal. Stopping is.

That is easier said than done, and treating teams know it. Alcohol dependence is a medical condition, and stopping abruptly after heavy, prolonged drinking can be dangerous, so withdrawal is best managed with clinical support. Counseling, mutual-support groups and medicines that reduce craving are all options a clinician may discuss. The person’s job is to be honest about intake so the plan fits reality.

Viral hepatitis is a different kind of cause. Hepatitis C is now treated with direct-acting antivirals, oral medicines that block the virus from copying itself. The CDC notes that treatment courses typically last 8 to 12 weeks, and clearing the virus removes the ongoing injury even when cirrhosis is already present. People with cirrhosis still need ongoing monitoring afterward, because scarred tissue carries a cancer risk that does not vanish with the virus.

Hepatitis B cannot usually be eliminated, but antiviral medicines suppress it to very low levels. The NHS describes this treatment as often long-term, sometimes lifelong, because the virus can rebound if suppression stops. Stopping these medicines is never a decision to make alone.

Whether the cause is alcohol or a virus, the pattern is the same: remove the injury, then watch the liver respond.

Treating the cause: fatty liver disease, autoimmune and inherited conditions

Fatty liver disease linked to metabolic conditions is now one of the most common routes to cirrhosis in the United States. Fat accumulates in liver cells, inflammation follows, and scarring builds over years. The treatment, according to the NIH and Mayo Clinic, centers on gradual weight loss where appropriate, physical activity, and tight management of diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol. There is no single approved medicine that undoes this type of cirrhosis, and any drug therapy for related conditions is a decision for the prescribing clinician.

Autoimmune hepatitis is a condition in which the immune system attacks liver cells as if they were foreign. It is treated with medicines that dampen that immune response, typically corticosteroids and other immunosuppressants, often over years. Primary biliary cholangitis, an autoimmune injury to the small bile ducts, is treated with bile acid therapies that improve bile flow and slow progression.

Inherited disorders have some of the most direct treatments. Hemochromatosis causes the body to absorb too much iron, which deposits in the liver. It is managed by regularly removing blood, a procedure similar to donating blood, to lower iron stores. Wilson disease, a copper-handling disorder, is treated with chelating agents that bind copper so it can be excreted.

Bile duct blockage from stones, strictures or other causes may be treated with endoscopic or surgical procedures to restore drainage. Each of these causes has a treatment that targets the mechanism itself rather than the scar, which is exactly why establishing the cause matters so much. A biopsy, blood tests or imaging that pin down why the liver is scarred are the first step toward protecting it.

Compensated vs decompensated cirrhosis: who is treated actively now, and who is asked to watch and wait

Clinicians divide cirrhosis into two stages, and the division decides how much treatment a person needs today. Compensated cirrhosis means the liver is scarred but still doing its job well enough that there are no major complications. Many people in this stage feel entirely well. Decompensated cirrhosis means at least one major complication has appeared: fluid in the abdomen, bleeding from swollen veins, confusion from toxin buildup, or jaundice.

For compensated cirrhosis, the focus is cause-directed treatment plus surveillance. This is the group most often asked to watch and wait in the sense that they are not given medicines for complications they do not yet have. Waiting here is active, not passive. It involves scans to check for liver cancer and swollen veins, blood tests to track liver function, vaccinations, and a hard look at every medicine and supplement being taken.

For decompensated cirrhosis, complication-directed treatment begins alongside cause-directed treatment, and the conversation about liver transplant usually opens. The Cleveland Clinic and the NHS both describe decompensation as the point at which cirrhosis becomes life-threatening and specialist involvement is essential.

Who is asked to wait on transplant specifically? People whose liver function is still adequate, people who are actively drinking or using substances in ways that would undermine the procedure, and people with other conditions that make major surgery too risky. Waiting does not mean nothing is being done. It means the balance of risk and benefit favors treating the cause and complications first, with reassessment built into the plan.

Preventing bleeding from swollen veins (varices) and managing portal hypertension

When blood cannot flow easily through a stiff liver, it finds detours. Small veins in the lower food pipe and stomach swell into varices, thin-walled channels carrying far more blood than they were built for. If one bursts, the bleeding can be sudden and heavy. Preventing that is one of the highest-value things a cirrhosis plan does.

The first step is looking. Guidelines summarized by Mayo Clinic and the NIH recommend an upper endoscopy, a camera passed down the throat, to check for varices when cirrhosis is diagnosed and at intervals afterward, with the schedule depending on what is found and how advanced the disease is.

If varices are present and judged at risk of bleeding, two approaches are used. Non-selective beta-blockers are medicines that lower the pressure inside the portal system by reducing blood flow into it. They are taken long-term, and the prescribing clinician adjusts them based on heart rate and blood pressure. The alternative, or addition, is endoscopic band ligation, in which small rubber bands are placed around the varices during endoscopy so they shrink and scar closed. Ligation is usually repeated over several sessions until the varices are gone.

For bleeding that happens or recurs despite these measures, a TIPS procedure may be considered. TIPS stands for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, a stent placed through a neck vein to create a bypass within the liver, lowering portal pressure. It is effective at reducing pressure but can worsen confusion in some people, so the decision weighs both.

Cirrhosis ascites treatment: what is done about fluid in the abdomen

Ascites is the buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity, and it is the most common complication that moves a person from compensated to decompensated cirrhosis. It develops because portal pressure pushes fluid out of vessels while low levels of albumin, a protein the liver makes, fail to hold fluid in, and because the kidneys respond by retaining salt and water.

The foundation of cirrhosis ascites treatment is reducing sodium intake. Salt drives water retention, so the NIH and NHS advise limiting salty foods and not adding salt at the table. A dietitian familiar with liver disease can make this realistic, since overly strict diets can worsen the malnutrition that already threatens many people with cirrhosis.

Diuretics, medicines that help the kidneys excrete salt and water, are the next layer. Two classes are typically combined, and the prescribing clinician adjusts them against weight, kidney function and blood electrolytes. Too much diuresis can harm the kidneys, so regular blood tests accompany this treatment.

When fluid accumulates faster than medicines can clear it, paracentesis is used. A needle is placed into the abdomen under local anesthetic and the fluid is drained, sometimes several liters at once. Albumin may be infused during large drainages to protect blood pressure and kidney function. Some people need this repeatedly.

Fluid that no longer responds is called refractory ascites, and it is a signal to revisit TIPS and transplant evaluation. Ascites fluid can also become infected, a condition covered in the next section, which is why any new fever or abdominal pain in someone with ascites is treated as urgent.

Managing confusion (hepatic encephalopathy) and preventing serious infections

Hepatic encephalopathy is a decline in brain function caused by toxins, mainly ammonia produced in the gut, that a scarred liver can no longer clear. It ranges from subtle changes in sleep, handwriting or mood to profound confusion and drowsiness. Families often notice it before the person does.

Treatment begins by finding the trigger. According to Mayo Clinic and the NIH, episodes are frequently set off by constipation, dehydration, infection, bleeding in the gut, or sedating medicines. Fixing the trigger often resolves the episode.

The mainstay medicine is lactulose, a non-absorbable sugar that draws water into the bowel and reduces ammonia-producing bacteria. It works by producing regular soft stools, and the prescribing clinician sets the target rather than a fixed amount. Rifaximin, a poorly absorbed antibiotic that acts on gut bacteria, is added for people who keep having episodes despite lactulose. Neither medicine is a decision to start or stop independently.

Infection prevention is the quieter half of this section, but it may matter more. People with cirrhosis have weakened immune defenses, and infections can tip a stable liver into failure within days. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, an infection of ascites fluid without an obvious source, is treated with intravenous antibiotics and, in some people, long-term preventive antibiotics afterward. Vaccination against hepatitis A and B, influenza, pneumococcal disease and other infections is recommended by the NIH and CDC for people with chronic liver disease, and raw or undercooked shellfish is best avoided because of a specific bacterial risk. Prompt treatment of any infection, even one that seems minor, is part of managing the liver.

Cirrhosis complications at a glance: what is treated, how, and why

Seeing the complications side by side helps explain why one person’s plan involves endoscopies while another’s involves drainage procedures. Each problem traces back to the same two roots, high portal pressure and lost liver function, but the tools differ.

Complication	What is happening	Usual management approaches	Why it matters
Varices	Swollen veins in the food pipe or stomach from portal pressure	Endoscopic surveillance; non-selective beta-blockers; band ligation; TIPS if bleeding recurs	Rupture causes sudden, heavy bleeding
Ascites	Fluid collecting in the abdomen	Sodium restriction; diuretics; paracentesis; TIPS or transplant evaluation if refractory	Discomfort, breathing difficulty, infection risk
Hepatic encephalopathy	Toxins affecting brain function	Treat the trigger; lactulose; rifaximin for recurrence	Falls, hospitalization, safety concerns such as driving
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis	Infection of ascites fluid	Intravenous antibiotics; preventive antibiotics in selected people	Can trigger kidney failure and rapid deterioration
Liver cancer	Tumor arising in scarred tissue	Ultrasound roughly every 6 months, sometimes with a blood marker; treatment depends on stage	Early detection widens treatment options
Malnutrition and muscle loss	Reduced protein production and poor intake	Dietitian-led plan; adequate protein; frequent meals including a late-evening snack	Muscle loss worsens outcomes and recovery
Kidney dysfunction	Circulatory changes reduce kidney blood flow	Stop harmful medicines; albumin and vasoactive medicines in hospital; transplant evaluation	Signals advanced disease

The surveillance interval for liver cancer comes from Mayo Clinic and the NIH, which describe ultrasound about every six months for people with cirrhosis. Everything else in the table describes standard approaches, not a prescription; which rows apply, and in what order, is worked out with the treating team.

Nutrition, medicines to avoid and vaccines: the everyday treatment people underestimate

Ask specialists what patients most often get wrong and many will not mention alcohol or pills. They will mention protein. For decades, people with cirrhosis were told to eat less protein to reduce ammonia. That advice has been overturned. The NIH and Cleveland Clinic now stress that people with cirrhosis are at high risk of malnutrition and muscle loss, and need adequate protein and calories, spread across the day.

A scarred liver stores very little glycogen, the body’s short-term fuel, so overnight fasting pushes the body to break down muscle. That is why dietitians often recommend a late-evening snack and smaller, more frequent meals. Sodium is the nutrient to limit if fluid is a problem. Beyond that, restriction tends to do more harm than good, and a dietitian who understands liver disease is one of the most useful members of the team.

Medicine safety is the second everyday task. A cirrhotic liver processes drugs slowly, so ordinary amounts can accumulate. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers can trigger bleeding and kidney injury. Sedatives and sleep aids can precipitate confusion. Herbal and dietary supplements are a particular concern; the NIH warns that some, including certain products marketed for the liver itself, have been linked to liver injury. Every product taken, prescribed or not, belongs on a list the treating team reviews.

The third task is immunization. The CDC recommends hepatitis A and B vaccination for people with chronic liver disease, alongside routine adult vaccines such as influenza and pneumococcal. An infection that a healthy person would shrug off can, in cirrhosis, become the event that leads to hospitalization.

Liver transplant for cirrhosis: who is considered, when, and what the process involves

Liver transplant replaces the scarred organ with a healthy one from a deceased or, less commonly, a living donor. It is the only treatment that addresses cirrhosis itself rather than its cause or complications, and for people with decompensated disease it is often the central topic of planning ahead.

Referral usually happens when cirrhosis has decompensated, when liver cancer is found within transplant criteria, or when blood tests show declining function. Transplant programs use scoring systems that combine laboratory values to estimate how urgently a person needs a new liver; Mayo Clinic describes the MELD score as the main tool used in the United States for adults. A higher score reflects sicker liver and kidney function and moves a person up the waiting list.

Evaluation is thorough. It checks the heart, lungs, kidneys and overall fitness for major surgery, screens for infections and cancers elsewhere, and assesses social support and, where alcohol or substances were involved, sustained abstinence with a plan to maintain it. Some people are told they are not yet sick enough; others that they are too unwell or have conditions that make surgery unsafe. Both conversations are difficult, and both are made by a multidisciplinary team rather than any single clinician.

After transplant, people take medicines that suppress the immune system to stop rejection, typically for life, and remain under specialist follow-up. Living-donor transplant, in which part of a healthy person’s liver is removed and regrows in both donor and recipient, is an option some programs offer. Whether transplant is right, and when, remains a shared decision guided by the treating team.

What the weeks and months after a cirrhosis diagnosis usually look like

The first weeks tend to be busy. Blood tests establish a baseline for liver function, clotting and kidney function. Imaging, often ultrasound with a stiffness measurement or a CT or MRI scan, maps the liver and checks for tumors. An endoscopy looks for varices. Cause-specific tests confirm why the liver is scarred. Some people also see a dietitian and a hepatology nurse for medication review and education.

Once the cause is being treated and any complications are managed, the rhythm settles. According to the NIH and Mayo Clinic, people with cirrhosis are typically seen for review every few months and have a liver ultrasound roughly every six months to screen for liver cancer, sometimes alongside a blood marker. Endoscopy is repeated at intervals set by what the first one showed. Blood tests track whether the liver is holding steady, improving after the cause is removed, or slipping.

For compensated cirrhosis with the cause controlled, this pattern can continue for years with few changes. For decompensated cirrhosis, visits are more frequent, medicines are adjusted more often, and transplant evaluation may run in parallel.

Timelines for individual treatments vary. A hepatitis C antiviral course typically lasts 8 to 12 weeks, per the CDC. Band ligation is repeated every few weeks until varices are eradicated. Diuretics are adjusted over days to weeks against weight and blood tests. None of these ranges is a promise; they describe what commonly happens so the calendar feels less mysterious.

The most useful habit through all of it is keeping a single up-to-date list of medicines, supplements and symptoms, and bringing it to every visit.

What people often get wrong about cirrhosis treatment

“It only happens to heavy drinkers.” Alcohol is one cause among many. Viral hepatitis, metabolic fatty liver disease, autoimmune conditions and inherited disorders account for a large share of cases, and the treatment differs for each. Assuming alcohol also means people with other causes sometimes get less sympathy and later diagnoses.

“If I’m not drinking, a glass at weddings is fine.” The NHS advises no alcohol at all once cirrhosis is present, whatever the cause. A liver with little reserve has no safe margin.

“Less protein protects the brain.” This advice has been reversed. Current guidance emphasizes adequate protein to prevent muscle loss, which itself worsens outcomes. Confusion is managed by treating triggers and using medicines that reduce gut ammonia, not by starving muscle.

“Liver-cleanse supplements help.” There is no evidence that detox products or herbal cleanses improve cirrhosis, and the NIH notes that some supplements have caused liver injury. The liver is not a filter to be rinsed; it is an organ that needs the injury stopped.

“Treatment can wait until I feel ill.” Compensated cirrhosis is often silent. Waiting for symptoms means waiting for decompensation, at which point options narrow. Surveillance scans and endoscopies exist precisely because the dangerous complications develop quietly.

“Once the virus is gone, I’m done.” Clearing hepatitis C removes the injury, but scarred tissue still carries cancer risk. Surveillance continues.

“Transplant is a last resort talked about at the very end.” Evaluation is most useful when started early enough to complete before a crisis. Raising it is planning, not surrender.

Questions to ask your care team about how cirrhosis is treated

Appointments are short and the vocabulary is new. Writing questions down beforehand turns a passive visit into a working one. These are the questions hepatology teams say they wish more people asked.

• What caused my cirrhosis, and what is the specific treatment for that cause?
• Is my cirrhosis compensated or decompensated right now, and what would change that?
• Which of my current medicines and supplements are safe, and which should stop or be reviewed?
• Do I have varices, and if so, what is the plan to prevent bleeding?
• How often will I have ultrasound scans for liver cancer, and who will contact me with results?
• Should I be referred to a dietitian who specializes in liver disease?
• Which vaccines do I need, and are any due now?
• What are the warning signs that mean I should call the same day, and which mean emergency care?
• Have I reached the point where a transplant evaluation is appropriate, and if not, what would prompt it?
• Who is my main contact between visits, and how do I reach them?
• Is there anything about my work, driving or travel that this diagnosis changes?
• Would it help to talk about my wishes for care if the disease progresses?

Bring someone with you if you can. People with early encephalopathy may not notice gaps in memory, and a second set of ears catches instructions that would otherwise be lost. Ask for written summaries. And if an answer is uncertain, ask what the evidence actually shows rather than accepting a vague reassurance. Good teams welcome that question.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs in cirrhosis

Cirrhosis can turn quickly, and the events that do the most harm are the ones treated late. Knowing which changes need a same-day call and which need an ambulance is part of the treatment plan.

Seek emergency care immediately for any of the following, as described by the NHS and Mayo Clinic: vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds; black, tarry or bloody stools; sudden severe confusion, extreme drowsiness or difficulty waking; difficulty breathing; or fainting. These can indicate variceal bleeding or severe encephalopathy, both of which need hospital treatment within hours.

Contact the treating team the same day for: a fever or chills, especially with abdominal pain or tenderness, which may signal infection of ascites fluid; a rapid increase in abdominal swelling or sudden weight gain over a few days; new or worsening yellowing of the skin or eyes; markedly reduced urine output or dark urine; new confusion, disorientation, personality change or trembling hands; persistent vomiting or inability to keep fluids down; or swelling of the legs that is new or rapidly worse.

Also call before, not after, starting any new medicine, supplement or herbal product, and if you have been prescribed something by another clinician who may not know about the cirrhosis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, sedatives and some antibiotics are commonly involved in avoidable harm.

None of these signs means the worst has happened. Each means something has changed that the team needs to assess, and early assessment is where most of the difference in outcome is made. When in doubt, call.

Frequently asked questions

How is cirrhosis treated if the cause has already been removed?

Treatment shifts to surveillance and complication prevention. Even when alcohol has stopped or a virus has been cleared, the scarred liver still carries a risk of liver cancer and portal hypertension, so ultrasound scans about every six months, periodic endoscopy, vaccinations and medication review continue. Many people in this situation remain stable for years, and the treating team adjusts follow-up based on blood tests and imaging.

Can cirrhosis be reversed with treatment?

Established scar tissue generally does not disappear, according to Mayo Clinic and the NIH, but treating the cause early can halt further damage and allow liver function to improve. Some people show reduced liver stiffness on scans once the injury stops. The realistic goal is stabilizing and protecting the remaining liver rather than restoring a fully normal organ.

What is the difference between compensated vs decompensated cirrhosis in terms of treatment?

Compensated cirrhosis has no major complications, so treatment focuses on the cause plus surveillance. Decompensated cirrhosis means ascites, variceal bleeding, encephalopathy or jaundice has occurred, and treatment expands to manage those complications while transplant evaluation is usually discussed. The stage, rather than the diagnosis alone, determines how intensive care needs to be.

What does cirrhosis ascites treatment involve?

Ascites treatment starts with limiting dietary sodium, adds diuretic medicines adjusted by the prescribing clinician against weight and blood tests, and uses paracentesis to drain fluid directly when needed. Fluid that no longer responds prompts consideration of a TIPS procedure or transplant evaluation. Any fever or abdominal pain with ascites needs urgent assessment for infection.

When is liver transplant for cirrhosis considered?

Transplant is usually considered once cirrhosis has decompensated, when liver cancer is found within accepted criteria, or when blood tests show declining function. Evaluation checks overall fitness for major surgery, other health conditions, infection and cancer screening, and social support. A multidisciplinary team decides on listing and timing; some people are told it is too early, others that surgery would be unsafe.

Is any amount of alcohol safe with cirrhosis?

No. The NHS advises complete abstinence once cirrhosis is present, regardless of whether alcohol caused it, because a liver with limited reserve has no safe margin for additional injury. People who find stopping difficult should tell the treating team, since alcohol dependence is treatable and abrupt withdrawal after heavy drinking can itself be dangerous without support.

Which medicines should people with cirrhosis avoid?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, sedatives and sleep aids, and many herbal or dietary supplements are common sources of harm, because a scarred liver processes drugs slowly and these products can trigger bleeding, kidney injury or confusion. Every prescribed and over-the-counter product should be reviewed with the treating team before use, and nothing should be started or stopped without that conversation.

How often are scans and endoscopies needed with cirrhosis?

Mayo Clinic and the NIH describe liver ultrasound roughly every six months to screen for liver cancer, sometimes with a blood marker. Endoscopy to check for varices is done at diagnosis and repeated at intervals set by the findings and disease stage. Blood tests are typically checked at each review, with frequency increasing if the cirrhosis is decompensated.

Does hepatic encephalopathy mean the liver is failing?

Not necessarily. Encephalopathy is often triggered by something correctable such as constipation, dehydration, infection, bleeding or a sedating medicine, and resolves when the trigger is treated. Lactulose and, for recurrent episodes, rifaximin reduce gut ammonia. Repeated episodes do indicate advanced disease and usually prompt a discussion about transplant evaluation with the treating team.

What should someone with cirrhosis eat?

Current guidance emphasizes adequate protein and calories spread across frequent meals, including a late-evening snack, to prevent muscle loss. Sodium is limited if fluid retention is a problem. Raw or undercooked shellfish is avoided because of infection risk. A dietitian with liver disease experience can tailor this, since overly restrictive diets tend to worsen malnutrition rather than help.

References

• NIDDK (NIH) – Treatment for Cirrhosis
• NHS – Cirrhosis: Treatment
• Cleveland Clinic – Cirrhosis of the Liver
• MedlinePlus – Cirrhosis

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.