LIVER CIRRHOSIS

[NB: percentages = frequencies in 'civilised' world; commonest cause worldwide is Hepatitis B]

commonest causes:

alcoholic liver disease (60-70%)

chronic hepatitis B or C infection (10%)

haemochromatosis (5%)

cryptogenic (idiopathic) cirrhosis (10-15%)

non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (possibly up to 10%)

biliary disease (5-10%):

primary biliary cirrhosis

chronic cholangitis / obstruction

rare causes:

a 1-antitrypsin deficiency

Wilson's disease

chronic severe heart failure ('cardiac cirrhosis')

post-necrotic (localised fibrosis)

Budd-Chiari syndrome

cystic fibrosis

galactosemia, glycogen storage diseases, tyrosinosis

hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia

intestinal bypass operation (for morbid obesity)

congenital syphilis

schistosomiasis

diffusely infiltrative liver carcinoma

drugs:

isoniazid

methyldopa

practolol

methotrexate

nitrofurantoin

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