Who needs a liver transplant?

People who need a liver transplant generally have end-stage liver failure, which can be caused by several conditions, including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), autoimmune hepatitis, and biliary atresia. These underlying diseases put such a burden on the liver that its normal functioning is impaired.

A person in this condition may experience symptoms such as fatigue, jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes due to an excess of bilirubin in the blood), fluid buildup in their abdomen (ascites), confusion or changes in mental status, bleeding easily due to poor clotting function from insufficient platelets produced by the damaged liver, enlarged spider veins from increased pressure in their veins from portal hypertension caused by blocked veins, or even total kidney failure as toxins build up in their blood faster than it can be eliminated.

Patients with end-stage liver failure typically require a transplant to survive because there are no other treatments available for reversing damage caused by these underlying diseases. The only hope for survival is for someone else’s healthy organ to replace theirs. If they do not receive a new organ soon enough, their health will continue to worsen until they succumb to death due to organ failure—which unfortunately happens frequently if they do not find a donor quickly enough. To reduce cases like this one must consider being an organ donor - giving another person chance when you're gone!