A 49-year-old man, who had been a heavy drinker for a long time, has been hospitalized with complaints of fatigability, pain in the right hypochondrium, loss of appetite, and itching. Examination detected the following: reduced levelsof total blood protein, hypoalbuminemia,increased levels of alkaline phosphatase, an enlarged liver, and generalized edema. What is the cause of the edema development in this patient?