Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver slowly deteriorates and malfunctions due to chronic injury. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, partially blocking the flow of blood through the liver.

What is Cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis is a severe form of liver disease wherein normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue (fibrous tissue).

Managing and Treating Cirrhosis

What Causes Cirrhosis?

Liver Disease Symptoms

One drink a day may be the new upper limit for safer alcohol guidance

A US cause-specific modeling study found no net protective health effect from low-level alcohol consumption, with lifetime alcohol-attributable mortality risk rising above 1 in 1,000 at just over 6.5 drinks per week for males and 7.0 drinks per week for females.

11 Jun 2026

Is any level of alcohol safe? Major review reveals where drinking risks rise

This Burden of Proof review found that alcohol consumption is associated with higher risks for several cancers, liver disease, pancreatitis, lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and atrial fibrillation. Although low-to-moderate drinking showed modest observational links with lower risks of type 2 diabetes, dementia, and some cardiovascular outcomes, the evidence was weaker and potentially biased.

2 Jun 2026

Understanding mitochondrial biology in alcohol-associated liver disease and cancer

For decades, giant mitochondria-known as megamitochondria-have been recognized in liver biopsies from patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).

1 Jun 2026

Chronic liver disease threatens millions across Europe, report finds

Europe is facing a growing chronic liver disease threat, according to a new Series published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, that engaged more than 75 co-authors from 30 countries and was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation.

25 May 2026

Pioneering cell therapy offers hope for advanced liver disease

A new type of cell therapy shows promise as the first treatment for advanced liver disease, following results from a clinical trial.

25 May 2026

Optimized extended PCLS culture system extends tissue viability up to two weeks

Precision-cut liver slice (PCLS) technology has long been regarded as a promising ex vivo platform because it preserves the native multicellular architecture of liver tissue.

22 May 2026

Recent advancements in the development of models to study primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare non-communicable disorder that affects the liver. Chronic inflammation in and around the bile duct is followed by the development of fibrotic obstructions within the duct, causing bile to accumulate within the liver.

19 May 2026

New research maps the biological toll of drinking

A new review published in the journal Addiction confirms drinking causes substantial harm to health. Some of those harms may be reversible if the person reduces or stops drinking.

14 May 2026

New imaging technique maps 38000 liver cells to solve fibrosis

The liver is often called a "silent organ," as it can sustain significant damage without obvious symptoms. But when injury is prolonged, whether from alcohol, poor diet, or chronic hepatitis virus infection, it triggers fibrosis: a progressive hardening and scarring of liver tissue.

14 May 2026

Colbopasvir plus sofosbuvir achieves high cure rates in chronic hepatitis C

In this real‑world multicenter study (Wenzhou, China), 113 chronic hepatitis C patients received colbopasvir (60 mg) + sofosbuvir (400 mg) daily for 12 weeks. Overall SVR12 was 99.1% (112/113). SVR12 was 100% for genotypes 3a, 3b, 6a, and compensated cirrhosis, 93.3% for genotype 1b, and 90% for HBV co‑infection.

14 May 2026

Asthma medication formoterol shows promise for treating fatty liver disease

MUSC researchers are tackling MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, a liver disease affecting hundreds of millions worldwide.

8 May 2026

WHO report shows measurable progress in reducing global hepatitis infections

Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today at the World Hepatitis Summit.

28 Apr 2026

Engineered gut bacteria successfully treat metabolic drivers of liver disease

When the liver fails, toxins - such as ammonia - that should be filtered from the blood build up and reach the brain.

28 Apr 2026

Biliary epithelial cells found to actively prevent liver fibrosis development

Many liver diseases share a common characteristic: fibrosis, that is, the progressive accumulation of scarring in the liver tissue.

28 Apr 2026

Delaying hepatitis B birth vaccines increases infant infection risks

Delaying hepatitis B vaccination after birth increases infections among newborns and decreases their survival rates and quality of life, according to a new Cornell University study.

27 Apr 2026

Study identifies key risk factors driving MASLD across populations

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) affects approximately 32% of the US adult population.

23 Apr 2026

Specific intestinal fungi play role in the pathogenesis of MASLD and cardiovascular disease

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). While gut bacteria have been linked to CVD, the role of intestinal fungi in subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (SCA) remains unclear.

23 Apr 2026

AGA update calls for better surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma

A new update from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) urges stronger prevention efforts and better early-detection tools for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the leading cause of cancer-related death in patients with cirrhosis, and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide.

17 Apr 2026

Gut-liver changes drive foodborne infection severity in fatty liver disease

A research team led by the University of California, Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health has uncovered a critical biological link explaining why individuals with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), or fatty liver disease, face significantly worse outcomes from certain foodborne infections.

15 Apr 2026

Semaglutide improves liver function independently of weight loss

Researchers at Toronto's Sinai Health have found that semaglutide – the active ingredient in popular weight loss drugs that mimic the gut hormone GLP-1 – acts directly on a subset of liver cells to improve organ function and does so independently of weight loss.

15 Apr 2026