“Alcohol is the root of all evil.” The word is actually a proverb that has one-to-one accuracy to describe the negative situations caused by alcohol today. Adding "losing health" to the undesirable conditions caused by alcohol can result in many irreversible situations. For example; Alcohol-related liver diseases are increasing day by day and unfortunately lead to consequences that can reach up to liver cancer. For this reason, if alcohol use, which has reached the level of "losing health", is not stopped in the early stages, it will be an inevitable end to encounter "alcohol-related liver diseases" in the future. In this content, where you can find answers to many questions such as what are alcohol-related liver diseases, how alcohol-related liver diseases give symptoms, how to treat alcohol-related liver diseases, you can also find the chance to examine the "Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases" forms.
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Overview of Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases
Alcohol-related liver diseases, which are common in the western parts of Turkey, especially in Istanbul, in regions where alcohol consumption is high, continue to increase day by day. After alcohol consumption, the alcohol that passes into the stomach and intestines goes to the liver, where it is destroyed. Since the liver that breaks down alcohol also has a limited "capacity", alcohol supplied in excess of a certain amount affects the whole body, and the liver works even harder to reduce the "effect" of alcohol and disrupts its other functions. If the patient has a continuous alcohol intake, liver cells may be damaged in the process and may pave the way for structural changes.
As the "ethanol" in alcohol is broken down in the liver, it naturally destroys liver cells. In fact, acetaldehyde, which is formed from the digestion of alcohol, means poison for the liver. Therefore, alcoholic liver diseases occur irreversibly as a result of “long alcohol intakes” rather than over a period of time.
What Are Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases?
As a result of many studies conducted in Turkey, alcohol is in the 3rd place among the factors that cause liver cirrhosis. Because, first of all, alcohol-related liver diseases; fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Complaints and examination findings in patients may vary with the stage of alcohol-related liver diseases. In other words, it is normal not to have any complaints or symptoms until cirrhosis develops. For this reason, “periodic examination” is very important in people who consume “more than necessary” alcohol. Liver examinations should be performed every 3 months and ultrasonography should be performed every 6 months so that the onset and course of the disease can be detected immediately.
Fatty Liver (Alcoholic Fatty Liver)
Fatty liver disease, a disease seen in 90% of those who drink alcohol, occurs as a result of the accumulation of fat in the liver cells. Fatty liver disease, which is known as the earliest disease among alcoholic liver diseases, enlarges the patient's liver. Blood tests may be normal during fatty liver disease, which is manifested by many symptoms such as loss of appetite, vomiting, pain around the navel and nausea.
Unfortunately, the “fate” of a patient who encounters alcoholic fatty liver disease is not clear and it cannot be predicted exactly how soon he will encounter alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis. If alcohol is not consumed within 5-6 weeks, since the fatty liver is likely to return to normal, doctors make a "call to quit alcohol" for people with alcohol-induced fatty liver and can easily declare that they are a candidate for "cirrhosis" in the future.
Alcoholic Hepatitis
When it comes to fatty liver disease, the pre-cirrhotic disease picture is alcoholic hepatitis in a person who does not listen to all the warnings of the doctor and continues to "drink alcohol". Many people who apply to the doctor with loss of appetite, nausea, and weight loss may be quite surprised when they are diagnosed with "alcoholic hepatitis". Because alcoholic hepatitis is a disease that can progress without any symptoms.
Conditions such as fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, yellowing of the eyes, enlarged spleen and liver coma can be seen in a patient diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis. ALT is slightly elevated and AST is elevated, and leukocyte increase is observed in the blood.
If alcohol consumption “still” continues, the probability of encountering “cirrhosis disease” within 24 to 42 months is very high. Therefore, when the diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis is made, if alcohol is stopped immediately, the disease begins to regress within 8 to 24 weeks and the disease can return to its normal course within 6 to 12 months. However, this may vary according to the current health status of the patient. Assuming a cirrhosis is encountered in 20% of cases, it is possible that some patients have impaired liver function and deaths.
Alcoholic Cirrhosis
The disease that occurs after alcoholic hepatitis is known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is seen in approximately 15% of people whose alcohol habit continues for a long time and frequently. The number of people who have cirrhosis without noticing is undeniably high. The biggest symptom of alcoholic cirrhosis, which gives many symptoms such as loss of appetite, fever, right upper quadrant pain, parotid gland enlargement, testicular atrophy, infertility and memory loss, is the complaint of "tremors in the hands".
In the alcoholic cirrhosis examination, many conditions such as yellowing of the eyes, enlarged spleen, stomach bleeding, duodenal ulcer can be encountered and alcohol intake should be stopped immediately. Because, the average life expectancy of a patient diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis is 50 months, and the 4-year survival rate is 50%.
How to Treat Alcoholic Liver Diseases?
When it comes to alcohol-related liver diseases, "treatment" is definitely grouped under four headings. First of all, alcohol is stopped, supportive treatments are taken, drug treatment is continued on a regular basis, and if a liver transplant is necessary, a transplant is taken. Otherwise, cirrhosis, the last stage of alcoholic liver diseases, can result in death.
In patients with significant abnormalities in liver tests, hospitalization may be appropriate if there is a diagnosis of "alcoholic hepatitis" or "cirrhosis". These patients, who are included in nutrition programs, can be given C, K, B vitamins and folic acids along with minerals such as magnesium, especially potassium.
Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment
The treatment of alcoholic hepatitis, which is one of the alcoholic liver diseases, begins with the correction of the nutritional disorder. If oral feeding will not be sufficient, intravenous nutrition solutions can be provided. In addition to cortisone treatments, jaundice, nausea, etc. Patients with complaints such as inpatient treatment can be provided.
For the Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcoholic Liver Diseases, Dr. Meral Sözen is waiting for you!
Alcohol-related liver diseases are among the most common diseases today. If you suspect or have diseases such as alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, Dr. With Meral Sözen, you can say "stop" to alcohol consumption and regain your health.
Remember, you are not late for anything…
