Which organ is affected by cirrhosis?

• A. Heart
• B. Lungs
• C. Liver
• D. Kidney

Answer: (C)

Cirrhosis primarily affects the liver. It involves long-term liver injury that leads to scarring (fibrosis) and nodular regeneration, which disrupts the liver’s structure and function. The liver is central to detoxifying chemicals, metabolizing drugs, producing bile, and making proteins like albumin and clotting factors. When cirrhosis develops, these functions are impaired, causing symptoms such as jaundice, fluid buildup, fatigue, and an increased risk of complications like varices and hepatic encephalopathy.

While liver disease can have wider effects on the body, the organ undergoing the disease process itself is the liver. In advanced cases, other organs (heart, lungs, kidneys) may be affected as complications arise, but the primary organ involved is the liver.