What is cirrhosis of the liver?
Cirrhosis is a condition in which healthy liver tissue is gradually replaced with scar tissue (fibrosis), disrupting the organ’s ability to function. Over time, the liver becomes hardened and shrunken, leading to complications that can affect nearly every system in the body.
While early-stage cirrhosis may not show symptoms, advanced stages are often life-threatening. According to the World Health Organization, cirrhosis is one of the top causes of death worldwide related to chronic disease.
Common causes of cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is typically the end result of long-term liver damage from various sources, including:
- Chronic hepatitis B or C infection
- Alcohol-related liver disease
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Autoimmune liver diseases
- Genetic disorders, such as hemochromatosis or Wilson’s disease
- Bile duct diseases (e.g., primary sclerosing cholangitis)
Identifying and treating the root cause is crucial to slowing or stopping progression.
Stages of cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is typically divided into two main stages:
- Compensated cirrhosis: The liver is scarred but still functioning well. Many people have few or no symptoms.
- Decompensated cirrhosis: The liver can no longer perform its essential functions. Symptoms and complications arise, and life expectancy drops significantly.
Understanding which stage you're in is the first step to estimating how long you might live with cirrhosis.
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How long can you live with cirrhosis of the liver?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—it depends on the stage, cause, and how well the condition is managed.
Compensated cirrhosis
- People with compensated cirrhosis can live for 10–20 years or more, especially if the underlying cause is treated.
- Many lead normal lives with medication, lifestyle changes, and regular monitoring.
Decompensated cirrhosis
- Life expectancy is much shorter, often ranging from 1 to 5 years depending on complications.
- Common complications include ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy, and jaundice.
The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is often used to predict mortality and prioritize liver transplant candidates.
Factors that influence survival
Several variables affect how long someone can live with cirrhosis:
1. Cause of liver damage
- Alcoholic liver disease may improve significantly if alcohol is stopped early.
- Hepatitis C can often be cured with antiviral medications, slowing cirrhosis progression.
2. Stage at diagnosis
- The earlier cirrhosis is caught, the more likely it can be stabilized or slowed.
- Decompensated cirrhosis usually indicates a more serious prognosis.
3. Lifestyle changes
- Avoiding alcohol, eating a liver-friendly diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can extend life.
- Regular medical follow-ups help detect complications early.
4. Treatment response
- Some patients respond well to medications that reduce portal hypertension or reverse inflammation.
- Others may need liver transplantation.
Treatment options for cirrhosis
While scar tissue can’t be reversed, many treatments can prevent further damage and improve quality of life.
Medical management
- Beta-blockers to reduce portal hypertension
- Diuretics to manage fluid buildup
- Lactulose to treat hepatic encephalopathy
- Antivirals for hepatitis
- Vitamin supplementation, especially for deficiencies like vitamin D and B12
Lifestyle interventions
- Quit alcohol
- Manage diabetes and cholesterol
- Lose weight (if NAFLD is the cause)
- Eat a liver-safe diet low in salt, fat, and red meat
Liver transplantation
For end-stage cirrhosis or liver failure, transplantation is often the only curative option.
- 1-year survival rate post-transplant: ~85–90%
- 5-year survival rate: ~70–75%
- Not all patients qualify or receive a donor organ in time
What happens when no treatment options are left?
When cirrhosis progresses to irreversible liver failure, and transplantation is not an option, many patients enter palliative care. The focus shifts to comfort, symptom relief, and preserving dignity in the final stages.
This is also when cryopreservation may come into consideration—not as a treatment, but as a means to preserve the possibility of future recovery.
Cryopreservation for terminal liver failure
Cryopreservation (or cryonics) is the process of preserving the body or brain at ultra-low temperatures immediately after legal death. The goal is to maintain the structure of the brain so that, if future medicine allows, a person might one day be revived and treated.
For someone facing end-stage cirrhosis, cryopreservation offers a future-facing option:
- Not a cure, but a bridge to future medical advancements
- Could allow revival once regenerative liver therapies, organ bioprinting, or advanced gene editing become viable
- An alternative to the finality of death when medicine has run out of options
Who chooses cryopreservation?
Cryonics appeals to people who:
- Have a terminal diagnosis and few or no options left
- Believe in the potential of future science
- Want to preserve their body or brain for a chance at revival
- Value autonomy in end-of-life planning
It is not a guarantee—but it is a choice. And for many, that makes all the difference.
How Tomorrow.bio makes it possible
At Tomorrow.bio, we provide:
- Whole-body and brain-only cryopreservation
- 24/7 standby and rapid response after legal death
- On-site stabilization and transport to a cryogenic facility
- Long-term monitoring and care for preserved individuals
We believe people deserve more than one chance at life—and that death doesn’t have to be the end if you don’t want it to be.
Further reading from Tomorrow.bio
- Understanding woman liver failure symptoms
- Liver and cancer treatment: what you need to know now and for the future
- Sepsis disease treatment
About Tomorrow.bio
At Tomorrow.bio, we are dedicated to advancing the science of cryopreservation with the goal of giving people a second chance at life. As Europe’s leading human cryopreservation provider, we focus on rapid, high-quality standby, stabilization, and storage of terminal patients — preserving them until future medical technologies may allow revival and treatment.
Our mission is to make human cryopreservation a reliable and accessible option for everyone. We believe that no life should end because current medical capabilities fall short.
Our vision is a future where death is optional — where people have the freedom to choose long-term preservation in the face of terminal illness or fatal injury, and to awaken when medicine has caught up.
Interested in learning more or becoming a member?
📧 Contact us at: hello@tomorrow.bio
🌐 Visit our website: www.tomorrow.bio
🤝 Schedule a call with our team: Book a call
