The liver is responsible for metabolizing or processing ethanol, the main component of alcohol.
Over time, the liver of a person who drinks heavily can become damaged and cause alcoholic liver disease.
Alcoholic Liver Disease Stages: Reversibility and Healing
Alcoholic liver disease ranges in severity.
There are three stages of liver disease.
Alcoholic fatty liver diseaseappears early on as fat deposits accumulate in the liver.
Often there are no symptoms.
People who consume four to five standard drinks per day over decades can develop fatty liver disease.
About 90% of heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Alcoholic hepatitisoccurs when the liver becomes damaged and inflamed.
Alcoholic cirrhosisis a progression of ALD in whichscarring in the livermakes it difficult for that organ to function properly.
Symptoms include weight loss, fatigue, muscle cramps, easy bruising, andjaundice.
Cirrhosis can lead toliver failure.
In liver failure, the liver is severely damaged and can no longer function.
The prognosis for liver failure is poor and requires immediate treatment, often in the intensive care unit.
Though rare,liver cancercan develop from the damage that occurs with cirrhosis.
What Is Possible?
Fatty liver disease can often be reversed by stopping drinking alcohol.
After two to three weeks of abstaining from alcohol, fatty deposits disappear and liver biopsies appear normal.
However, if the person drinks alcohol again heavily, the fatty deposits will reappear.
What Stages Arent Reversible?
People who have progressed to alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis most likely will not be able to reverse the disease.
Alcoholic Hepatitis vs.
This can result in liver failure.
Cirrhosis is further categorized as compensated and decompensated.
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.
In decompensated cirrhosis, symptoms become more apparent.
The median life expectancy drops to one to two years.
Help to Stop Drinking
If you want to stop drinking, help is available.
When Does Alcoholic Liver Disease Cause Symptoms?
Alcoholic liver disease often begins without any symptoms.
Early Symptoms
Most people will not experience symptoms in the early stages of ALD.
Some may experience mild pain in the upper right side of the abdomen.
ALD that has progressed can affect other parts of the body.
Havinghepatitis Cor other liver diseases with heavy alcohol use can rapidly increase the development of cirrhosis.
These diseases will also be treated.
BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
In general, the more severe the ALD, the more malnourished someone becomes.
Corticosteroids are used to treat severe alcoholic hepatitis by decreasing inflammation in the liver.
Other medications, such as Pentoxil (pentoxifylline), may also be used.
Aliver transplantmay become necessary in end-stage ALD.
However, eligibility may depend on being abstinent from alcohol for a specific length of time.
Summary
Alcoholic liver disease is resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol.
There are three stagesalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis.
Early treatment can reverse alcoholic fatty liver disease.
However, if the disease progresses, it is often not reversible.
The standard first-line treatment is to stop drinking.
Medications and lifestyle modifications may also be prescribed depending on the stage.
In some cases, supplementation with vitamins may be recommended.
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