What is Alcoholic Liver Disease?
Excessive alcohol intake over a long duration generates alcoholic liver damage. It is a serious and usually fatal side effect of alcohol consumption. Over time, alcohol consumption causes good liver tissue to be replaced by faulty tissue. Alcohol is not just life-threatening, but it can also cause liver failure. It is one of the most common reasons for acute liver damage. Extreme alcohol use can induce liver scarring, which can lead to Alcoholic Liver Disease.
Dr. Vikrant Kale is a renowned liver disease doctor in Pune. Dr. Vikrant Kale at Kaizen Gastro Care Clinic is giving consultations specifically in Liver Transplant, Liver Diseases, Gastroenterology, and Hepatology services in Pune. In this blog, Dr. Vikrant Kale details the different types of Alcoholic Liver Disease, and how to treat and prevent the condition. If alcoholic liver disease is affecting your quality of life, consult today with Dr. Vikrant Kale Hepatologist & Liver Specialist in PCMC, Pune.
Stages:
Alcoholic Liver Disease occurs in three stages viz.
- Alcoholic Fatty Liver
- Alcoholic Hepatitis
- Liver Cirrhosis
Stage 1: Alcoholic fatty liver disease:
It is the first stage of alcoholic liver disease and is also known as steatosis. Fatty Liver is a most common liver disease which is characterized by an extreme assemblage of fat inside the liver cells. It causes it hard for the liver to work properly. In the earlier stages of alcohol misuse, heavy drinkers often generate fatty liver. If you quit drinking, you can change this.
Treatment:
We know that, currently, No medications have been approved for the treatment of fatty liver disease. Our expert Dr. Vikrant Kale focuses on helping you address factors that contribute to the disease. They also suggest making lifestyle modifications that can significantly improve your health.
- Lose weight, if you are obese
- Avoid alcohol
- Keep control of diabetes
- Keep a balanced, healthy diet
- Exercise Regularly
- Go for a health check-up on a routine basis
- avoiding the counter medicines
Stage 2: Alcoholic Hepatitis:
The second stage of alcoholic liver disease, Alcoholic Hepatitis is distinguished by the inflammation of the liver leading to the deterioration of liver cells quickly. This stage may persist for years, but if the patient persists to drink, he will ultimately originate complete liver damage. It can generate life-threatening complications such as liver cirrhosis and complete liver destruction in severe cases. The most general symptom in this stage along with the following:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Abdominal tenderness
- Fatigue and weakness
- Weight loss
Treatment:
The primary purpose of alcoholic liver disease treatment is to restore the regular functioning of the liver and ease the signs. The alcoholic hepatitis treatment includes:
- Stop alcohol consumption: If you are analyzed with alcoholic hepatitis, you must control alcohol consumption completely.
- Treatment for malnutrition: Dr. Vikrant Kale may recommend vitamin and nutrient supplements to fix nutritional issues that contribute to liver disorders. In extreme cases, tube feeding is also recommended.
- Medication to Reduce Inflammation of the Liver: If the individual has severe alcoholic hepatitis, Dr. Vikrant Kale might suggest the medicines like corticosteroids and pentoxifylline to assist decrease inflammation of the liver.
- Liver transplantation: If the patient has severe alcoholic hepatitis that cannot be reversed, Dr. Vikrant Kale may suggest liver transplantation. However, the procedure of finding a donor can be lengthy and complicated.
Stage 3: Liver Cirrhosis:
Liver cirrhosis is the last stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease in which healthy liver tissue is permanently scarred. It is a severe disorder and an irreversible one. A patient with liver cirrhosis will see liver failure signs, along with the signs of alcoholic hepatitis:
- Fluid accumulation in the gut
- Spleen enlargement
- Bleeding from veins
- Drowsiness
- weight loss
- Nausea
- Loss of appetit.
Treatment:
Liver Cirrhosis treatment options include:
- Abstinence: Complete abstinence from alcohol is the most significant medicinal intervention for individuals with Alcoholic Liver Disease. Abstinence from alcohol decreases the chance of further damage to the liver, but it also provides it with a chance to recover and decrease the progression to cirrhosis. It ultimately helps to improve survival at all alcoholic liver disease stages.
- Diet and Nutrition Support Therapy: You may be underweight if you have alcoholic liver disease. You may have been incapable to consume good nutrition due to a lack of appetite and sickness. It’s important to get enough calories and take nutritional supplements to assist you to recover from liver inflammation. Patients with alcoholic liver disease at any stage should visit a liver specialist and begin nutritious therapy as soon as possible. It can help in the ease of signs and the progress of the liver’s current stage.
- Medications: For alcoholic liver disorder patients, a hepatologist is likely to specify various medications after carefully screening the signs and stages of the disease.
- Liver Transplant: A liver transplant surgery may be the only treatment choice in severe cases of alcoholic liver disease where the liver has stopped working, and there is no improvement even after the patient quits drinking. The consideration for a liver transplant is different, and it is only carried into account when the patient has developed difficulties of cirrhosis or if the body does not answer to other remedies including medicines.
Conclusion:
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