Alcoholic liver disease: An insight into its stages, diagnosis, and treatment

Alcohol abuse can damage your life in multiple ways. Not only can it destroy your relationships, but it can also cause considerable damage to your health and well-being, especially your liver. Due to overconsumption of alcohol, one may require to undergo Alcoholic hepatitis treatment and entirely stop drinking to protect their liver. The stages of liver disease stemming from alcohol abuse only get worse with time, as a person keeps drinking. These stages involve:

• Fatty liver: Fatty liver depends on the buildup of fat inside the liver cells, and can lead to an enlarged liver. This is the most common alcohol-induced liver issue.
• Alcoholic hepatitis: Alcoholic hepatitis involves acute inflammation of the liver. It can result in the death of liver cells, which is often followed by permanent scarring.
• Alcoholic cirrhosis: Alcoholic cirrhosis implies to the destruction of normal liver tissue, and tends to leave scar tissues in the place of the working liver tissue.

Whether you need cirrhosis or Alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment would depend on the extent of damage experienced by your liver. By getting help early, avoiding alcohol, and maintaining a healthy diet, you can manage alcohol-induced liver damage in time, and avoid the severe health consequences that follow the cirrhosis stage.

The job of the liver is to break down alcohol. However, if a person drinks more than their liver can process, the organ can become considerably damaged. While fatty liver can happen in almost anyone who drinks a lot, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis are conditions that are typically linked to the long-term alcohol abuse seen in an alcoholic.

Doctors at the Best liver hospital in India typically recommend certain tests to diagnose alcohol-induced liver disease. Liver function blood tests for example are done to show whether the organ is working in the manner it ideally should. Liver biopsy, on the other hand, involves removing small tissue samples from the liver with a needle or during surgery. These samples are then checked under a microscope to identify the type of liver disease. Ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI are a few other common tests that might be prescribed to diagnose alcoholic liver disease.

The most vital part of the treatment of alcoholic liver disease is to entirely completely stop drinking alcohol. At times, diet changes are also advised. The liver can often repair some of the damage caused by alcohol, especially if the condition is in its early stages. However, you might need a liver transplant if the damage reaches the cirrhosis stage.