NCLEX Quiz # 978

NCLEX Examination.

Practice Question # 978.

Cirrhosis is a chronic disease characterized by replacement of normal liver tissue with diffuse fibrosis that disrupts the structure and function of the liver. There are three types of cirrhosis or scarring of the liver:

• Alcoholic cirrhosis, in which the scar tissue characteristically surrounds the portal areas. This is most frequently due to chronic alcoholism and is the most common type of cirrhosis.
• Postnecrotic cirrhosis, in which there are broad bands of scar tissue as a late result of a previous bout of acute viral hepatitis.
• Biliary cirrhosis, in which scarring occurs in the liver around the bile ducts. This type usually is the result of chronic biliary obstruction and infection (cholangitis); it is much less common than the other two types.