When the liver becomes damaged and the scar tissue works to repair the lesions and laceration of this very important organ a condition known as sclerosis of the liver can occur. This is also known as cirrhosis, a more common name for the same disease. Scar tissue is far more coarse than the healthy tissue of a liver and it doesn't perform the same function either. As a result a very bad case of sclerosis of the liver means that the organ cannot function adequately. It may require transplantation from a section of healthy liver to keep the patient from suffering liver failure. Luckily for those who catch sclerosis of the liver early there is often a few different courses of medication, or courses of action to take so that this doesn't become a necessity. Take, for instance, a woman who drinks heavily. This causes trauma to the liver as alcohol is a poison and starts to cause damage. This damage is repaired with scar tissue but soon the liver becomes so scarred that it is unable to filter the toxins from her blood. She suffers alcohol poisoning and renal failure. If this woman had stopped her alcoholism when the first signs of sclerosis of the liver had arisen then she would have given her liver the chance to repair itself. You may be wondering what else can cause sclerosis of the liver and what the physical warning signs of this serious condition are too. Sclerosis is caused by anything that is harmful to the liver, including alcoholism, the use of particular drugs, having any type of hepatitis apart from A, certain infections and suffering from other diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Wilson's disease or protoporhyria. Some of these conditions can be prevented by not ingesting so much alcohol or so many drugs. Others can be avoided by taking more care not to catch them (having protected sex and not sharing razors or toothbrushes) as in the case of hepatitis and some cannot be prevented as they are hereditary diseases. In any of these cases it's important to take notice of the physical warning signs of sclerosis of the liver so that it can be caught early, treated and give the liver a chance to heal itself. These can include changes in the nails, clubbing of the fingers, swollen spleen, pain in the longer bones of the body, jaundice, bad breath, gynecomastia (development of male breasts) and speckled patches on the palms of the hands amongst others. Sclerosis of the liver is a very serious and urgent condition that needs immediate treatment from a specialist or medical professional. If you think you're suffering from the condition because you take drugs or drink a lot of alcohol then it may not be enough to simply stop. Along with quitting you may need therapy and medication to support the liver as it heals and help your body to maintain a good level of functionality that the organ would provide if it were healthy. source : Explaining Sclerosis of the Liver
