Treatments and complications
of cirrhosis
How your condition is treated will depend on what has caused it, how severe it is and if you have any complications.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with cirrhosis or suspected cirrhosis.
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
Find out about advanced liver disease in children
You can find out about the different treatments that you might be offered on this page. But the best options will be different for everyone. So it is important to get advice from your medical team.
It is also important to find out about complications. You might never get these, but they can be very serious. Knowing about them will help you to spot them early.
On this page:
Treatments for compensated cirrhosis
How your liver cirrhosis is managed will depend on how severe it is. Treatments for compensated cirrhosis focus on:
- stopping more damage
- regular checks (surveillance)
Stopping more damage
If you have compensated cirrhosis, then stopping more damage to your liver can also stop your condition from getting worse.
These are the most common causes of liver damage:
Alcohol
If you have liver cirrhosis, you should stop drinking alcohol. Even if your condition was not caused by alcohol.
If you struggle with alcohol dependency, talk to your medical team and find out what support is available in your area.
You can find more information about alcohol if you have a liver condition on our FAQs page. It also has information about support organisations.
Being overweight or obese
Being overweight can cause liver disease. If your condition is found early then losing weight can help to stop or even reverse the damage.
Talk to your medical team about weight loss services in your area. You can also find lots more information in our eating, drinking, and keeping active section.
However, if you have more severe liver disease then you might struggle to get all the energy and nutrients you need from your food. If this happens, speak to your medical team for personal advice about what to eat, this will be a bit different for everyone. You can also ask for a referral to a registered NHS dietitian.
If you have diabetes or high cholesterol it is important to control these. Your doctor might give you medicines to help with this.
Viral hepatitis
If you have viral hepatitis, it is important to control or get rid of the virus. How this is done will depend on the type of viral hepatitis.
In most cases the hepatitis C virus can be got rid of completely. This is done by taking tablets every day for a few weeks.
People with hepatitis B and cirrhosis can have medicines that keep the level of the virus very low. This can stop or slow down liver damage.
Autoimmune conditions
In autoimmune conditions your own immune system starts causing damage to your body. Treatments aim to turn down your immune system to stop or reduce the damage.
The treatment you have will depend on several things including your condition and how much damage has been done.
Find out more about autoimmune conditions
Other liver conditions
There are lots of other conditions that can cause liver damage.
Regular checks (surveillance) for liver cancer
Cirrhosis is the most common cause of liver cancer. But liver cancer takes many years to develop, and it is treatable if found early.
Most people with cirrhosis you should have a surveillance ultrasound scan for liver cancer every 6 months. Ask your medical team about this if they do not offer it.
Treatments for decompensated cirrhosis
If you have decompensated cirrhosis, it is still important to try to stop any more damage and to have regular surveillance tests.
But you may need other treatments as well:
Managing symptoms
Some of the symptoms of liver disease are not harmful. But they can have a big impact on your life.
Talk to your medical team if you are struggling with things like itching, fatigue or pain. Doctors are sometimes unsure about which medicines it is safe to take if you have cirrhosis. But this should not mean that you just have to put up with symptoms.
You could ask your doctor to speak to a specialist liver doctor (hepatologist) or specialist pharmacist. You could also ask if a palliative care team could help you.
Many of the symptoms of decompensated cirrhosis are caused by complications. You can find out more about these further down this page.
Palliative care
Palliative care is not just for the end of life. It specialises in improving people’s quality of life and helping to reduce symptoms.
Being referred to a palliative care team does not mean that there is no other treatment for you. For example, if you are on the transplant waiting list a palliative care team could help you while you wait.
You might want to talk to your medical team about being referred to palliative care if:
- Your cirrhosis is Child-Pugh class C .
- You have alcohol related decompensated cirrhosis and you are still drinking alcohol.
- You are being assessed for a liver transplant or you are on the transplant waiting list.
- You have decompensated cirrhosis that is not expected to get better. And you are not able to have a liver transplant.
- You have had 2 unplanned liver related hospital stays in the last 6 months.
- You have liver cancer.
Liver transplant
The only way to completely cure liver cirrhosis is a liver transplant.
It is a very big operation, so not everyone will be able to have a transplant. There can also be a long wait for a donor.
But after a successful transplant many people can have long and active lives.
We have lots more information about liver transplants here
Clinical trials
There is lots of research being done to look at cirrhosis treatments and complications. If you might be interested in taking part in a trial, talk to your medical team. You can also find out about current trials here.
Complications of decompensated cirrhosis
These are some of the main complications that can come with decompensated cirrhosis. They can be very serious but not everyone will experience them.
You may never develop these complications, but it is a good idea to be aware of them, even if you do not have them at the moment. These complications can develop very quickly. Knowing about them in advance will mean that you know what to look out for.
This page will give you basic information. It also has links for more detailed information. So you can choose how much information is right for you.
Bookmark this page so that you can find it again easily if you develop a complication.
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE)
Hepatic encephalopathy is caused by a build-up of toxins in your brain. One of your liver’s jobs is to remove toxins from your body. So if your liver is not working properly, it cannot do this.
Hepatic encephalopathy can cause memory problems, confusion, and sleepiness. Sometimes hepatic encephalopathy can seem to change someone’s personality.
It is often close family or friends who notice these symptoms first. So it is a good idea to share this information with them in advance.
The condition can come and go. So you can have good days and bad days. This can be unpredictable.
There are some things that can help with hepatic encephalopathy. Including a medicine called lactulose.
More online information about HE
Portal hypertension
Portal hypertension is an increase in the pressure in one of the major veins in your liver.
It means it is hard for blood to pass through your liver normally. Which can lead to an increase in pressure in blood vessels outside your liver.
Portal hypertension is involved in the development of other complications of cirrhosis. Including varices and ascites. Over time it can also cause problems in other parts of your body, such as your kidneys.
Ascites
Ascites is a build-up of fluid in your belly (abdomen). It can be very uncomfortable. It also pushes on your other organs and can make it hard for you to eat or breathe.
Ascites fluid can be drained in hospital. But it usually builds back up and must be drained again. There are medicines that can sometimes slow down the build-up of ascites fluid.
If you have ascites, you may need to make some changes to your diet:
- Reduce the amount of salt to help slow down the build-up of ascites fluid.
- Increase the energy in your food to make sure you get enough.
You will also need to increase the amount of some of the nutrients in your food.
If you are struggling with eating because of ascites, it is important to talk to your medical team. Ask if you can be referred to a registered NHS dietitian. The dietitian can help you to make sure you are getting enough energy and nutrients.
More online information about ascites
Download our detailed ascites booklet
Varices and variceal bleeding
Varices are small veins in your digestive system that have become swollen because of cirrhosis.
These veins can sometimes leak or burst causing serious bleeding. This is called a variceal bleed.
Varices can be treated to stop them bleeding. If you have been diagnosed with cirrhosis you should have regular checks to see if you are at risk of varices.
More online information about varices and variceal bleeding
Download our detailed varices booklet
Thrombocytopenia
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens your bones. This makes it more likely that you will get a fracture.
People with cirrhosis have a higher risk of osteoporosis. So your medical team should calculate your risk. This can be done using a calculation called the FRAX index. You might also be asked to have a bone density scan. This is similar to having an x-ray.
Liver cancer
Sometimes cirrhosis can cause liver cancer. This is usually a type of cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC.
HCC can be treated if it is found early. If you have cirrhosis, you will usually be offered regular liver cancer surveillance tests.
Find out more about liver cancer on our Liver Cancer UK website.
Find out more about liver cancer surveillance.
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This content was last reviewed: February 2025
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Vishal Patel, Consultant Hepatologist, Kings College hospital, Dr Victoria Kronsten, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Hepatology, King’s College Hospital, Katharine Caddick, Consultant Nurse, North Bristol Trust, Maria-Emanuela Maxan, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Hepatology, King’s College Hospital and Claire Smith, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Specialist. And all our patient reviewers.
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Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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