Cirrhosis of the liver

The liver is a large organ located in your upper abdominal region, just below your diaphragm. It is designed to carry out a number of functions, including purifying the blood, detoxifying the body, and secreting bile for the digestion of fats. Often when the liver is diseased it can regenerate itself, but that can cause scar tissue, nodules, and fibrous tissue, which is called cirrhosis.

There are different kinds of cirrhosis. One kind is alcoholic liver disease, and there is a non-alcoholic form of cirrhosis. The common causes of cirrhosis are alcoholism, fatty liver disease, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. There are a variety of other causes as well.

A chronic disorder that is progressive, cirrhosis causes healthy liver tissue to be replaced by fibrous scar tissue. The scar tissue results in a progressive loss of liver function, which can eventually lead you to need you to require a liver transplant. Once liver damage has occurred, it is irreversible to an extent. The severity of the cirrhosis and the extent to which you are incapacitated from engaging in your past work or doing any other kind of work impacts whether or not you are approved for disability.

Often, the symptoms of Cirrhosis do not appear until significant liver damage has occurred. Some of the symptoms include:

-Fatigue

-Easy bleeding and/or bruising

-Build-up of fluid in the abdominal area (also known as ascites)

-Loss of appetite

-Nausea

-Unintended weight loss

-Swelling in the legs

If not properly treated, Cirrhosis can lead to malnutrition, hepatic encephalopathy (confusion or coma resulting from a build-up of toxins in the blood), and portal hypertension (increased pressure in the vein which delivers blood to the liver), which can also lead to varices (blood vessels which become enlarged and burst, leading to serious bleeding). As mentioned earlier, liver cancer is another potential consequence. It can also lead to gallstones, diabetes, and kidney failure.

Some types of objective medical evidence that can support a claim for disability based upon cirrhosis include:

-Endoscopy

-Operations

-Pathology

-Imaging such as, but not limited to, x-ray, sonography, CAT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and radionuclide scans

-Laboratory findings such as, but not limited to, increased liver enzymes, increased serum total bilirubin, increased ammonia levels, decreased serum albumin, and abnormal coagulation studies, such as increased International Normalized Ratio (INR) or decreased platelet counts.

Doctors who specialize in treating cirrhosis include:

-Gastroenterologists – specialists on digestive organs and the liver

-Hepatologists – specialists focused on the liver

-Hematologists – specialists on the blood.

Cirrhosis has been identified by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in their impairment listing manual (also called the Blue Book) as a condition which can cause a person to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. Under the classification of chronic liver disease, it must meet the following criteria:

1.Hemorrhaging from varices of the esophagus or stomach or from portal hypertensive gastropathy (disease of the stomach from high blood pressure in the abdominal arteries) resulting in unstable blood pressure and requiring hospitalization for transfusion of at least 2 units of blood, or one of the following:

a. Ascites which cannot be attributed to other causes in spite of continuing treatment,                 present on at least 2 occasions at least 60 days apart during a 6 month period, or

b. Spontaeous bacterial peritonitis (infection of the abdominal wall) of a pre-determined                 severity, or 

c. failure of the kidneys due to liver disease, or

d. Hepatic encephalopathy of a pre-determined severity, or

e. Liver failure of a pre-determined severity.


If you need help applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.
Location: Michigan, USA

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