Overview
Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is damage to your liver caused by too much alcohol. There are several stages of severity:
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Cirrhosis
The key to treatment is to reduce your intake of alcohol.
Key Facts
- Drinking too much alcohol over an extended period of time causes changes to your liver
- Continued drinking can lead to further health issues such as cirrhosis, excessive bleeding or even liver failure
- If you do not stop drinking, your condition will worsen and, your overall outcome and chances for recovery will not improve
Symptoms
Symptoms are not particularly noticeable, especially at the beginning but as the damage to your liver increases, symptoms are likely to increase.
Early symptoms can be quite vague such as:
- feeling sick
- stomach pain
- loss of appetite
- tiredness
- a general feeling of being unwell
As the disease progresses and your liver becomes more damaged, symptoms will increase and can include the following:
- Jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
- Very itchy skin
- Swelling occurring in the legs, ankles and feet
- Swelling in your abdomen
- Significant weight loss
- Weakness and muscle wasting
- Fever and shivering fits
- Blotchy red palms
Diagnosis
The early symptoms can be similar to other health conditions so it is worth discussing with a doctor, who will then conduct various tests including a physical examination. They could also conduct several tests including a liver function test, a complete blood count, an abdominal CT scan and ultrasound of the liver.
If it is suspected that you have alcoholic hepatitis, your doctor may order a liver biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. This is a procedure to take a tissue sample from your liver, this will show the severity of any damage to your liver.
Causes
The liver is one of the most complex organs in the body. It filters toxins from the blood, regulates cholesterol and blood sugar levels, aids digestion and helps fight infections. It is very resilient and has the ability to regenerate itself. However, drinking too much alcohol over many years can reduce its ability to generate new cells, which can cause inflammation and alcoholic hepatitis.
Prevention
The best way to avoid alcoholic liver disease is to not drink alcohol. However if you drink, make sure you do it in moderation. Obviously, alcoholic drinks have various strengths but in general, try to drink less than two drinks a day if you are male and less than one drink a day if female.
Having a general healthy lifestyle can also help prevent alcoholic liver disease by maintaining a healthy weight.
Typical Treatments
The key to any treatment once you’ve received a diagnosis is to stop drinking alcohol. In the early stages of ARLD, you may be able to reverse any damage by doing this. However once significant damage is done to the liver, the changes to it become permanent.At this stage, your doctor may recommend medicines that can reduce inflammation and improve the overall liver function.
The doctor may also recommend a liver transplant if your liver is severely damaged.
Conclusion
There is currently no direct cure for ARLD. The main treatment is to stop drinking. This reduces the overall risk of more damage to your liver and ensures the best chance of recovering.
MOST COMMON
