Cirrhosis Of The Liver Cirrhosis is a condition in which progressive and irreversible damage occurs to your liver due to infection, alcohol abuse, toxins or other diseases. A healthy liver processes nutrients into forms your body can use, manufactures bile to help digest fats, and regulates the amounts of sugar, protein and fat that enter your bloodstream. A liver damaged by cirrhosis has fewer healthy cells to carry out these activities.
Alcohol destroys liver cells.
Alcohol abuse is the most common cause of cirrhosis of the liver in the United States. Alcoholic cirrhosis usually occurs after many years of heavy drinking. Chronic viral hepatitis. Chronic inflammation caused by viral hepatitis B or C may lead to liver damage. This protein prevents the enzyme trypsin from digesting proteins.