The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. The term is most often used in relation to the liver, because that organ is most often involved in cirrhosis. Protein deprivation is also responsible for kwashiorkor , a nutritional deficiency with symptoms resembling those of cirrhosis of the liver. A major cause of cirrhosis worldwide is infection by the hepatitis B virus.
Biliary cirrhosis is a type caused by disruption of bile flow and is more common in women.
Other causes include schistosomiasis and hemochromatosis, a hereditary iron storage disease. It is not uncommon for greatly distended veins in the esophagus to rupture and cause massive hemorrhage. Treatment is first aimed at any reversible underlying disease. Supportive measures include avoidance of alcohol, a diet with adequate protein, vitamin supplements, transfusions to replace any blood loss, and removal of accumulated fluid. Beta blockers , such as propranolol, have been shown to be effective in reducing the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding, one of the most lethal complications of cirrhosis.