Fatty liver diseases and scarring of the liver are caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Learn more here about how drinking alcohol results in liver diseases.
Fatty liver is seen in many conditions. Alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes of liver damage. These diseases affect the liver to a great extent. A person’s lifestyle becomes miserable after having liver disease. The function of the liver is to remove harmful substances from your body. It does the same with alcohol as well. It tries to remove as many chemicals from your body as it can. But an excessive amount of alcohol starts to make it fat and vulnerable to many ailments. This article will explain how excessive alcohol will cause diseases of the liver.
How Alcohol Affects The Liver
Alcoholic liver diseases directly affect the liver. They are mainly caused by many years of drinking. Many years of continuous alcohol abuse destroy the liver. It causes swelling of the liver. As a result, inflammation is seen in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. The layers of fat make it impossible for the liver to perform its normal function. A detailed doctor checkup is required urgently to find out the extent of the disease. If not treated properly, it can cause massive scaring as well. The scaring of the tissues of the liver is known as cirrhosis. It is considered to be the last stage of liver disease. It is one of the major consequences of the overconsumption of alcohol. It can lead to liver failure as well. This failure is a fatal condition that can put your life in danger.
Stages Of Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases
Treatment options are available following the stage of the disease. There are usually 3 stages of alcohol-related illness. The first stage is usually the inflammation of the organ. It is treatable and can be cured by cutting off the consumption of alcohol. The person only has to eliminate drinking from his life, and he will be back to normal. The second stage is the stage of acute alcoholic hepatitis. At the point when the patient is not letting the glass down, swelling increases. This is a painful condition. Activities of daily life can be restricted. In some cases, it can be treated. While in worse cases, it can lead to the failure of the liver. The outcome of this stage is dependent on the severity of the damage. The third and final stage of this disease is the most severe form. Cirrhosis causes the complete shutdown of the liver.
Signs And Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of these diseases have a wide range. It has been observed that some people will not have the symptoms until the advanced stages of diseases. This is why a regulardoctor checkupis important for knowing your health status. The most common signs and symptoms of these diseases include loss of appetite, jaundice, nausea, fatigue, and abdominal discomfort. Patients with inflamed livers also have symptoms of weight loss, increased thirst, swelling in the abdomen and legs, and dark colors of hands and feet are observed. Enlarged breast in men, bleeding gums, confusion, and unusual agitation is seen as well. Bowel movements become painful. Patients often complain about persistent fatigue too. These symptoms are usually observed during binge drinking. The symptoms’ intensity depends upon the severity of the disease. The symptoms might also show late because of multiple reasons.
Risk Factors for alcohol-related liver diseases (ARLD)
There are many risk factors for this disease. The most common one is the binge intake of alcohol. It is seen that most people with liver diseases have a habit of consuming alcohol beyond control. The toxins and chemicals present in the drink are harmful enough to scar the organ. Another reason for these diseases is the family history of ARLD. If you have a history of these diseases, you should already take precautionary measures to prevent the occurrence of this unwanted condition. Keep track of your alcohol intake and maybe put a limit on it as it is said that prevention is better than cure. So instead of looking for treatment options, you should start taking precautions. Many people will be surprised to know that poor nutrition plays an important role in triggering these conditions. Not taking enough nutrition will cause a liver shutdown.
Poor nutrition is also harmful when a person is a binge drinker. If you are only feeding your harmful toxins, it will eventually give up. Taking a healthy and proper diet helps you a lot in fighting against these diseases. If the immune system of your body is wrecked up because of non-stop drinking, you will be at the last stage of such fatal illnesses.
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of these diseases, doctors may recommend different tests. These tests are usually done to have a complete look at the condition of the organ. They also help in letting the healthcare professionals know about any underlying disease that can be fatal for your health. Your doctor will recommend a complete blood count, liver function test, and liver biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, and abdominal computed tomography. Liver enzymes tests are also done in liver function tests. Levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The levels of aspartate aminotransferase are usually two times higher than that of alanine aminotransferase in these conditions. It is important to get all these tests done if you are a binge drinker. Early detection of liver diseases can save your life by speeding up the recovery process.
Treatment
The treatment goals for ARLD are to make the patient stop drinking and to regain the liver’s health. The treatment that doctor recommends mostly is the alcoholic rehabilitation program. Usually, when a person is asked to cut off their drinking habits, it is hard for them to do this. Alcoholic rehabilitation programs help in maintaining the progress. Another important treatment to add multi-vitamins into their diets. This is important because people with ARLD are usually anemic because of poor nutrition. Doctors usually add vitamin A supplements because they are the most deficient ones. If the conditions are worse and even cutting off alcohol and vitamins is not helping, a liver transplant is the last option. This is usually done in cases where scaring has almost destroyed the system.
Fatty Liver is mainly caused by the consumption of alcohol. Excessive amounts of alcohol can cause many fatal liver diseases. It causes the failure of the metabolic activities of the liver. This results in the accumulation of toxins inside the organ. It can result in liver failure as well. Limiting alcohol intake and taking proper nutrition can help fight against ARLD.