What is Alcoholic Liver Disease? Know the causes and treatment

Posted by sophiasmith on March 1st, 2017

The repeated consumption of excessive alcohol severely affects our liver in long run. The liver processes fats and proteins from digested food, purifies the blood from toxins, produces proteins that are essential for the clotting factors. But what happens to your liver when you drink beyond the safe limits repeatedly?

The alcohol consumed by you gets absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and the intestines. Before circulating in the body, all the blood with highest concentration of alcohol goes through the liver, scarring its tissues. While the function of liver is to purify the blood, liver enzymes can only metabolise a certain amount of alcohol, drinking excessively can cause serious liver diseases such as Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD).

Now what is Alcoholic Liver Disease?

Alcoholic Liver Disease is a medical condition in which the liver fails to filter toxins out blood due to scarred tissues as an outcome of alcohol abuse. There are three widely diagnosed stages of ALD- Cost of liver transplant in India.

  1. Fatty Liver

The inability of liver to process fats results in build of the same in liver cells. This is the onset stage of ALD. Considered to be harmless, this is the alarming stage which can be easily treated by avoiding alcohol abuse. Ignorance during this stage causes the fatty liver to develop Hepatitis.

  1. Alcoholic Hepatitis

The inflammatory condition of the liver is termed as Alcoholic Hepatitis. The inflammation ranges from mild to severe. While mild hepatitis can only be diagnosed through a blood test, the progress of it could cause jaundice and nausea. A severe hepatitis can cause deep jaundice and quickly cause liver failure. This stage can be fatal. Abstinence from alcohol is a must in this condition to avoid further progress of the disease.

  1. Alcoholic Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a liver condition wherein the liver cells are replaced by fibrosis (scar tissues). This happens when the cells are damaged beyond repair. Gradually, the liver loses its ability to function. According to Dr. Vivek Vij, Top Liver Transplant Surgeon in India, if fibroids continue to persists, it can lead to Cirrhosis which can only be cured by a transplant.

 Alcoholic Liver Disease: Treatment

ALD can be easily treated in the early fatty liver stage by reducing the alcohol consumption. Alcohol abuse must be avoided at the earlier stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease to avoid further development. In case the condition worsens, abstinence is the best you can do for you liver. In severe cases of Cirrhosis, wherein the liver is barely able to function, transplantation is the only way of treatment.

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sophiasmith
Joined: February 18th, 2014
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