Reversal of cirrhosis
Previously, cirrhosis was thought to be permanent and irreversible. Medical experts are now finding that in some cases, cirrhosis can improve and be reversed. This is very rare. It happens slowly over a number of years, usually after having certain types of treatment. Cirrhosis can also improve with lifestyle changes like reducing alcohol and losing weight.
Reversal of cirrhosis is difficult to diagnose. It requires looking at lots of different factors. In any claim where we think someone’s cirrhosis has improved, we work with our expert clinical advisors. They look at all the available supporting information, including whether the person’s liver has become less stiff over a long period of time.
There are lots of factors that can influence liver stiffness. For example, a high BMI, alcohol intake, and other health issues can cause temporary liver inflammation. This can cause short-term increases in FibroScan scores, which may be interpreted as the person having cirrhosis when they do not.
When assessing someone’s severity level, it’s important to understand if they have:
- cirrhosis which has reversed slowly, over a number of years (very rare)
- a short-term increase in liver inflammation that has reduced over a short period of time (much more common)
For this reason, we cannot confirm that someone’s cirrhosis has reversed based on a single FibroScan score alone.
If your cirrhosis reverses, it will not change your compensation amount. As you previously had cirrhosis caused by your infection, you would still be paid for infection severity level 3.
As reversal of cirrhosis is rare, we expect this will only apply to a very small number of claims. You should contact us if you’ve already received compensation and think you might have been paid incorrectly.