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Cirrhosis : The Leading Cause Of Death

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Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. Cirrhosis affects one of the largest organs in the body, the liver. It is a condition that slowly worsens the liver and is unable to function normally due to chronic injury. Cirrhosis consists of four stages with the fourth stage being the most advanced stage of cirrhosis. When healthy liver cells are damaged and replaced by scar tissue (fibrosis) it’s known as a degenerative disease called cirrhosis. Chronic alcoholism is the leading cause of cirrhosis due to excessive drinking of alcohol, which causes the liver to swell. In sequence with alcoholism and hepatitis C, or alone obesity can be a risk factor in developing cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is a disease that can affect many individuals if the condition is not caught in early stages it can become deadly.
Cirrhosis affects the function of the liver, which performs a wide variety of essential jobs like regulating several hormones, helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, removes poisons, drugs and alcohol, and manufactures bile that helps the body to absorb fats and cholesterol. Even though the liver performs many functions it serves as an essential part of the digestive system by producing bile, which is stored in the gallbladder then released into the small intestine where it breaks down fatty food.
In the United States, about 31,000 people die from cirrhosis each year. One in 10 million Americans has some form of liver cancer. “Hepatitis C, fatty

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