British Society of Gastro...

Cirrhosis is characterized by widespread disruption of normal liver structure due to fibrosis, primarily caused by chronic progressive conditions affecting the liver. Alcohol-related steatotic liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause, followed by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical findings, imaging, endoscopy, non-invasive tests (such as the enhanced liver fibrosis test or transient elastography), and/or histology. The disease progresses through an asymptomatic compensated phase, characterized by ongoing liver damage, to a decompensated phase marked by overt clinical signs like ascites, bleeding, encephalopathy, and jaundice.