Cirrhosis is a long-term (chronic) liver disease. The damage to your liver builds up over time. The liver is your body's largest internal organ. It lies up under your ribs on the right side of your belly.

What organ is most greatly affected by cirrhosis?

Overview. Cirrhosis is the severe scarring of the liver and poor liver function seen at the terminal stages of chronic liver disease. The scarring is most often caused by long-term exposure to toxins such as alcohol or viral infections. The liver is located in the upper right side of the abdomen below the ribs.

What part of the body does alcohol related cirrhosis affect?

Damage from repeated and excessive alcohol abuse leads to alcoholic liver cirrhosis. When the liver tissue starts to scar, the liver doesn't work as well as it did before. As a result, the body can't produce enough proteins or filter toxins out of the blood as it should.