Do I have cirrhosis?

I have been extremely tired for no reason for over a year now. For the past 2 ½ months I've been extremely nauseous & everything makes it worse i.e. eating, moving, heat, etc. With this I am either very cold or start sweating. Also about a year ago I began to get dandruff; I've never had this problem before. I've also had a recent one month period of severe itchiness all over my body with no rashes. A few days ago I had a ultrasound done & was told that I have varicose veins on my liver, but my family doctor didn't think it had anything to do with my symptoms. Im going to see a GI specialist on the 8th, but I am very stressed out about everything & hoping you can give any ideas as to what could be wrong with me. Is it possible that I could have cirrhosis? I am a 28 yr old female with a past history of heavy drinking. I havent drank for a year now.

Advice on whether you have cirrhosis

You mention varicose veins of the liver which are varices I presume. These are caused by increased pressure in whats called the portal venous system. This causes the blood vessels to open up and can cause something called oesophageal varices. The main causes of varices are either an intrinsic problem with the liver, i.e. cirrhosis or a problem with a blood clot increasing the pressure in the venous system.

If you have had a heavy past alcohol consumption then it is possible that this could be alcohol related liver cirrhosis. Tiredness, nausea and itchy skin are common features of a sick liver.

You have stopped drinking which is really good and will help to prevent further complications occurring. The liver has an amazing power of regeneration too.

Until you have had the appropriate investigations it is difficult to be sure exactly what is going on, but your GI specialist will be able to help you with this.


My name is Dr Peter Thatcher MBBS, MRCPI and I am a consultant physician and gastroenterologist in the UK. I have an interest in internet based medicine and administer this site in my spare time. I hope you find this site useful and informative. If you have any suggestions, please Contact Me or if you would like to comment on my site, please do so by Clicking Here. If you like the site and would like to make a donation to support what I am doing please do so by Clicking Here. Thank you for visiting and please drop by again!