The best way of preventing alcohol-related cirrhosis is to keep within the recommended limits of alcohol consumption. To protect yourself against hepatitis-related cirrhosis, avoid injecting drugs and unprotected sex.
Heavy alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes of cirrhosis of the liver. The recommended limits of alcohol consumption are:
- men – up to 21 units of alcohol a week (3-4 units a day)
- women – up to 14 units of alcohol a week (2-3 units a day)
If you have cirrhosis, you should stop drinking alcohol immediately because it speeds up the rate at which the condition progresses, regardless of the cause.
Read more about alcohol misuse.
Protect yourself from hepatitis
Cirrhosis can be caused by infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B and C can be caught through having unprotected sex or by sharing needles in order to inject drugs.
Using a condom when having sex will help you to avoid the risk of getting hepatitis, as will avoiding injecting drugs. Anyone who is at risk of getting hepatitis B, such as police officers and social care workers, can be protected by being vaccinated against the condition.
However, there is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C.
People who were born in areas of the world where hepatitis B and C are widespread, such as parts of South Asia and Africa, need to be screened for hepatitis, as early treatment can help prevent the onset of cirrhosis.
Screening patients with cirrhosis
Patients with cirrhosis of the liver (no matter what the cause), are at a small but significantly increased risk of developing a type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.
Patients with cirrhosis will be asked by their doctors to have regular screening for this cancer. It involves having an ultrasound of the liver and a blood test (for a tumour marker in the blood called alpha fetoprotein) every six months.
