What is Alcoholic Liver Disease?, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment – Dr. Amit Agrawal
Alcoholic liver disease is damage to the liver due to excessive consumption of alcohol which leads to fatty liver, inflammation, and scarring.
Alcoholic liver disease is the third most common cause of liver transplants and also it is the main cause of chronic liver disease in western nations. If you drink more than your liver can process, then it becomes seriously damaged.
Liver damage can affect the whole body. Alcoholic liver disease is common but preventable. It can be prevented by decreasing the amount of alcohol consumption or by totally stopping it.
Symptoms of Alcoholic Liver Disease
Once alcohol liver disease progresses, its symptoms become easier to recognize.
Some of the symptoms are mentioned below: –
- The first symptom is jaundice. In this, you face yellowing of the white part of the eye as well as skin
- Swelling of lower limbs
- Fever and shivering
- Extremely itching skin
- General weakness and wasting muscles
- Blood in vomit and stool etc.
Causes of Alcoholic Liver Disease
- Alcohol liver disease occurs after several years of heavy drinking. Over time, scarring and cirrhosis occur. Cirrhosis is the last stage of alcoholic liver disease.
- This disease does not occur in every heavy drinker.
- The main cause of this disease is drinking alcohol in very high quantities.
Clinical manifestation / Treatment of Alcoholic Liver Disease
Lifestyle changes
- Stop drinking alcohol
- Eat a healthy diet with less amount of salt
- Get vaccinated for diseases such as influenza, and hepatitis.
- Take proper medication
Medicines are given by the doctor
- Water pills to get rid of fluid buildup
- To prevent excess bleeding doctor prescribes you to take vitamin k or blood products
- Medicines for mental confusion
- Antibiotics are provided by the doctor to cure infections
Clinical manifestation
- Endoscopic treatments for enlarged veins in the esophageal varices.
- Fluid is removed from the abdomen.
- To repair blood flow in the liver, placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is done
- When cirrhosis is in its last stage of liver disease, a liver transplant may be needed. A liver transplant is only considered in people who have completely avoided alcohol for 6 months.
