Cirrhosis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when inflammation and scarring damage the liver. No treatment will cure cirrhosis or repair scarring in the liver that has already occurred. However, treatment can sometimes prevent or delay further liver damage. The main components of treatment include:

• Treating the cause of cirrhosis, when possible, to prevent further liver damage.
• Avoiding substances that may further damage the liver, especially alcohol.
• Preventing and treating the symptoms and complications of cirrhosis.
• Having a liver transplant if your liver damage becomes severe, provided you are a suitable candidate for liver transplantation and a liver is available.

Initial treatment

If you have just been diagnosed with cirrhosis, which occurs when inflammation and scarring damage the liver, your health professional will recommend that you:

• Stop drinking alcohol. You need to quit completely.
• Talk to your doctor about all medicines you take, including nonprescription drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve).
• Begin following a low-sodium diet if fluid retention is occurring. Reducing your sodium intake can help prevent fluid buildup in your abdomen (ascites) and chest. For more information, see:

  Cutting back on sodium.

• Get immunized (if you have not already) against hepatitis A(What is a PDF document?) and hepatitis B(What is a PDF document?), influenza, and pneumococcus.(What is a PDF document?)

Taking these steps may help prevent complications and further damage to your liver and help you control symptoms.

Initial treatment of cirrhosis will also include treatment for any complications that have already developed. You may need medications, surgery, or other treatment, depending on what complications you have.

Ongoing treatment

Cirrhosis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when inflammation and scarring damage the liver. Ongoing treatment for the disease focuses on watching for, trying to prevent, and treating symptoms and complications.

You must continue to:

• Avoid all alcohol.
• Make sure your health professional knows all of the medicines you are taking, including nonprescription drugs.
• Begin or stay on a low-sodium diet if fluid retention begins occurring or continues to help reduce fluid buildup and its complications. For more information, see:

  Cutting back on sodium.

Depending on what complications develop, you may need medicines, surgeries, or other treatments.

Fluid buildup in the abdomen (ascites) is one of the most common problems for people with cirrhosis and can become life-threatening if it is not controlled. Following a low-sodium diet can help reduce fluid buildup in the abdomen. However, you may also need:

• Diuretic medicines, such as spironolactone and furosemide, to help eliminate fluid that has built up in the abdomen and other parts of the body. These medicines can help both prevent and treat problems with ascites. Your doctor may prescribe a diuretic for you to take over the long term.
• Paracentesis with or without a protein (albumin) infusion. Paracentesis is a procedure in which a needle is inserted through the abdominal wall to remove fluid from the abdominal cavity. It may be used to treat severe ascites that is causing symptoms and is not responding to standard treatment with diuretics and a low-sodium diet.
• Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or cefotaxime (Claforan), if you develop a bacterial infection in your abdomen (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, or SBP) as a result of fluid buildup.
• Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). This procedure can divert fluid from the abdominal cavity and may be used to treat ascites that does not respond to other forms of treatment.