People who have advanced liver disease can have complications that affect the heart and lungs. It is not unusual for a person with severe liver disease to have shortness of breath. Breathing problems can occur because the person can't take as big a breath due to large amounts of ascites (fluid in the abdomen) or pleural effusions (fluid build-up between the tissues that line the lung and chest) or a very large spleen and liver that pushes the diaphragm up. Breathing problems can also occur with liver disease from changes in the blood vessels and blood flow in the lungs. There are two well-recognized conditions that can result from liver disease: hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension. This fact sheet will review these two conditions and how they relate to liver disease.