The single best treatment for alcohol-related liver disease is abstinence from alcohol. When indicated, specific treatments are available that can help people remain abstinent, reduce liver inflammation, and, in the case of liver transplantation, replace the damaged liver. Limiting your intake to one standard drink per day if you are female and two standard drinks if you are male is generally considered “safe” for your liver. However, even occasional binge drinking can lead to liver damage if enough is consumed.
After stopping drinking, which is the first step in any treatment of ALD, an assessment will be made as to the extent of the damage and the overall state of the body. It does not take into account factors such as body composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Even though it is a biased measure, BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person’s potential health status and outcomes. In compensated cirrhosis, the liver remains functioning, and many people have no symptoms. The median life expectancy from this point is 10 to 12 years.
What is unique about Yale Medicine’s approach to alcohol-related liver disease?
Diagnosis begins with a doctor taking a complete medical history and physical examination. Initial tests would include blood tests and possibly imaging tests such as ultrasound. Depending upon the findings of these tests, additional diagnostic testing may be required to determine the extent of liver damage that is present.
Complications of alcoholic hepatitis are caused by scar tissue on the liver. That can raise pressure in a major blood vessel called the portal vein and cause a buildup of toxins. Drinking large amounts of alcohol keeps people from being hungry. Early-stage liver disease is fully reversible once alcohol is stopped.
Alcohol Related Liver Disease
Alcohol related liver disease (ALD) is the result of drinking more alcohol than the liver can tommy lee alcohol process, which damages the organ. The liver, responsible for performing many functions in the body, processes what the body needs, discarding what it doesn’t. As the liver breaks down the alcohol, the chemical reaction releases a toxin, which damages liver cells. If too much alcohol is ingested repeatedly over time, even without getting drunk, liver damage begins. When too much liver damage occurs, it impacts the whole body.
However, if you find it difficult to control your alcohol consumption or drink in excess frequently, it’s essential to seek help. Early ALD may not have any symptoms at all, which is why it is important to take action if you are drinking heavily. If you believe that you are alcohol dependent, it is advisable to get help.
Alcohol-Related Liver Disease
One of your liver’s jobs is to break down potentially toxic substances. When you drink, different enzymes in your liver work to break down alcohol so that it can be removed from your body. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that male deaths due to alcohol-related diseases rose 29% from 4,928 to 6,348 between 2016 and 2021. Over the same time period, the number of women who lost their life this way jumped 37% from 2,399 to 3,293 – the highest level since records began in 2001. Alcohol hepatitis and alcohol cirrhosis previously were called alcohol steatohepatitis (ASH), a term that still arises among some circles. If a person is dependent on alcohol, stopping drinking can be very difficult.
Alcoholic Hepatitis vs. Viral Hepatitis
- Fatty liver disease can often be reversed by stopping drinking alcohol.
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease is also called hepatic steatosis.
- In mild alcoholic hepatitis, liver damage occurs slowly over the course of many years.
- An test called transient elastography, which uses an ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging, measures the stiffness of the liver, which can aid in diagnosing cirrhosis.
The Nebraska Medicine Liver Transplant Program is one of the most reputable and well-known liver transplant programs in the country. Even drinking 1–2 alcoholic drinks every few days over a long period can increase your risk of developing cirrhosis. Your healthcare provider may also test you for individual nutrient deficiencies. Many people with alcoholic liver disease are deficient in B vitamins, zinc and vitamin D and it may become necessary to take supplements.
Over time, this can cause hepatocytes to replicate abnormally, resulting in liver cancer. Although the liver is efficient in metabolizing small quantities of alcohol and regenerating new liver cells, drinking a large amount, even for a few days, can lead to fatty liver disease. The condition is usually asymptomatic (without symptoms) and, if you stop drinking for two weeks, is fully reversible. However, if the disease progresses, it is often not reversible. Medications and lifestyle modifications may also be prescribed depending on the stage.
Three-year survival approaches 90% in abstainers, whereas it is less than 70% in active drinkers. Duration of survival in both groups is considerably less than that of an age-matched population. Continued liver damage due to alcohol consumption can lead to the formation of scar tissue, which begins to replace healthy liver tissue. When extensive fibrosis has occurred, alcoholic cirrhosis develops. The diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis rests on finding the classic signs and symptoms of end-stage liver disease in a patient with a history of significant alcohol intake.
