 Hello, I am Dr. Anurag Shetty, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Interventional Endoscopist, KMC, Mangalore. Cirrhosis of liver is a condition wherein the liver does not function properly because of long-term damage to the liver. In cirrhosis of the liver, the liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue when the liver tries to repair itself. It usually occurs due to long-term damage to the liver which occurs over months to years. Cirrhosis is a very common disorder worldwide affecting around 125 million people globally, causing around 2.1% of global deaths, making it one of the 12 leading causes of the death globally. Liver is a very important organ in the body which has multiple functions such as synthesis of proteins required for the body such as the clotting proteins, removal of toxins from the body. It also has some role in the metabolism and digestion of food products and also in the maintenance of body immunity. All these functions tend to get impaired in cirrhosis of liver. There are multiple causes for cirrhosis of liver. However, the major ones are chronic and daily alcohol intake, viral infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I think a special mention should be made about this non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which is routinely seen on ultrasound as fatty liver. This fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis over long duration of time. Cirrhosis of liver is usually asymptomatic in the beginning and is usually detected on a routine ultrasound or LFT is done as part of screening packages. With progression of disease, patients may develop swelling of feet or swelling of the tummy because of fluid retention. They may slowly develop jaundice, easy crucibility or they may present with complications of cirrhosis such as omitting of blood, altered sensorium, slurring of speech, etc. So cirrhosis of liver is not a curable disease but it is definitely an irritable disease. The time is done to deliver with cirrhosis is usually not reversible. However, if the disease is identified early in the course of the disease and adequate treatment is started for the initiating agent, we can always prevent the progression of the disease and rarely reverse it to some extent. The successful management of cirrhosis of liver begins with identifying the factors which are responsible for cirrhosis of liver and also to rule out any complications. This is usually etched by certain blood tests, ultrasound and endoscopy tests. Treatment of cirrhosis begins with treatment of the underlying cause for cirrhosis of liver. For example, if a patient is a chronic alcoholic, abstinence from alcohol is important. In case of viral infections with hepatitis B or hepatitis C, patients are started on antivirals. However, the main goal of treatment is to prevent progression of the disease and to manage complications and to prevent the complications. This can be etched with regular medicines, certain changes in the lifestyle and diet. This is usually etched with constant supervision under the gastroenterologist.