Cirrhosis is when scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. This stops the liver from working
normally. Cirrhosis is a long-term (chronic liver disease or acute liver failure). The damage to your
liver builds up over time. The liver is your body’s largest internal organ. It lies up under your ribs
on the right side of your belly.

The liver does many important things including:

 Removes waste from the body, such as toxins and medicines
 Makes bile to help digest food
 Stores sugar that the body uses for energy
 Makes new proteins

When you have cirrhosis, scar tissue slows the flow of blood through the liver. Over time, the
liver can’t work the way it should. In severe cases, the liver gets so badly damaged that it stops
working. This is called liver failure.

Literature on the incidence and prevalence of liver cirrhosis is scarce but figures suggest that
around 0.1% of the population in Europe is affected.