Many people think that drinking a little bit a day, or drinking with friends once a week, is okay. But do you know how much damage that little bit of alcohol can do to your body's silent worker, the liver? Today we're talking about the inflammation of the liver caused by alcohol, a condition medically known as 'Alcohol-Induced Hepatitis'.
What is alcohol-induced hepatitis?
Simply put, 'Hepatitis' is an inflammation of the liver. This is similar to the redness and swelling that occurs when we have an injury to our body. This swelling means that there has been some damage to the liver cells or an infection. There can be several reasons for this. Various types of viruses, toxins that are harmful to the body, etc. Excessive alcohol consumption is also a major cause of this.
Sometimes it can be a temporary condition that occurs after drinking too much one day. However, if this becomes a chronic condition in someone who continues to drink alcohol, it is very likely to cause severe damage to the liver that cannot be repaired.
Why does alcohol do this to the liver?
Think about it, everything you eat and drink is cleaned and processed by your liver before it is absorbed into your body. The liver is like a filter in our body. It does all of this, separating nutrients and removing toxins.
When you drink alcohol, it also goes to this liver. But alcohol is not a nutrient for the liver, it is a direct toxin . As the liver breaks down alcohol, other toxic chemicals are produced.
When you drink too much alcohol over a long period of time, that is, in someone with an alcohol use disorder, the liver becomes overwhelmed by these toxins. When the liver can't handle the excess fat and toxins, they start to damage the liver cells. In response to this damage, the body produces the aforementioned swelling, or inflammation. It's really the body's attempt to heal the wound and stop further damage.
But the problem is, as alcohol continues to be ingested, this swelling continues. As the liver continues to swell, its cells begin to die.
Who is most at risk for this condition?
People who have been drinking heavily for years are usually at the highest risk. But not everyone who develops this disease falls into that category. Some people's bodies are very sensitive to alcohol. They can still damage their liver even if they drink a normal amount. Others may not develop this condition even if they drink much more.
This can be influenced by genetic variations . If someone in your family has a history of alcoholism or liver disease, you are also at higher risk. Gender also plays a role here. Men are generally able to tolerate alcohol a little better than women.
But none of us can medically say, "It's okay to drink this amount." Because for some people, even a very small amount of alcohol can cause this serious condition called hepatitis and cirrhosis.
What are the symptoms of this disease?
If you have this disease in its early stages, you may not have any symptoms. But as the condition gets worse, you will start to feel these things.
| Classification of symptoms | |
|---|---|
| Symptoms before the disease worsens (early stage) | |
| A feeling of pain or pressure in the upper right part of the abdomen, where the liver is located. | The liver may feel swollen and enlarged or may be visible. |
| A protruding belly means a feeling of fullness in the stomach. | Loss of appetite and weight loss. |
| Nausea. | Passing light-colored, watery stools. |
| Symptoms that occur when the condition becomes severe and affects liver function | |
| Fever. | Heart palpitations. |
| Yellowing of the whites of the eyes (jaundice). | Bleeding easily from even a minor injury and turning blue in places on the body (thrombocytopenia). |
| Memory and consciousness disturbances (hepatic encephalopathy). | Constant feeling of extreme fatigue and lethargy. |
How much do you have to drink to get this disease?
There's no one-size-fits-all formula for this. But statistics show that people who drink heavily every day over a long period of time are at higher risk. What constitutes "heavy drinking" is also different for men and women.
- For men: Drinking about four standard drinks a day or more than 14 drinks a week.
- For women: Drinking about three glasses a day or more than 7 glasses a week.
Binge drinking is also a cause of this. Men drink more than 5 glasses at a time, and women drink more than 4. If you do this at least five times a month, that is also considered heavy drinking. Even drinking this way for a short period of time, such as six months, significantly increases your risk of developing this disease.
How does a doctor accurately diagnose this disease?
When you go to see a doctor, he or she will first ask about your health history and alcohol use. If they suspect that you have a problem with alcohol use, they will check to see if other organs are affected. There are several tests that can be done to help with this.
- Blood tests: A complete blood count (CBC) can screen for various medical conditions. Liver function tests are also performed to check for elevated liver enzymes.
- Imaging tests: Tests such as ultrasound, FibroScan®, CT scan, or MRI scan may be done to check for liver swelling or damage.
- Liver biopsy: In some cases, the doctor may need to take a very small piece of tissue from the liver and examine it under a microscope to confirm the disease.
How is it treated?
There is no specific medicine that can be given directly for this disease. The only and best treatment is to completely stop drinking alcohol.
But suddenly stopping alcohol on your own can be dangerous. It can cause severe side effects (withdrawal symptoms) on the body. Therefore, this should be done under medical supervision .
While your doctor will help you get rid of alcohol, he will also treat any complications that may arise from it.
Additional treatments include:
- Nutritional therapy: Alcohol use and liver damage can cause things like loss of appetite and nausea, which can lead to malnutrition. Your doctor will give you an appropriate diet and nutritional supplements. In severe cases, you may be given tube feeding in the hospital.
- Short-term steroids: Some severe cases are given steroids for a short period of time to reduce swelling in the liver and help cells regenerate.
Can this condition be reversed? How long will it take to recover?
Yes, this can be cured to a large extent. But there is only one condition for it. That is to completely stop drinking alcohol.
If the disease is not too severe, the liver can recover after stopping drinking. People who do not stop drinking can continue to develop cirrhosis and liver failure, which is when the liver becomes completely damaged. Scar tissue that has already formed in the liver cannot be reversed. But you can stop further damage and save the rest of your liver.
This needs to be stopped completely, for life. If you do that, you will definitely recover.
Typically, people who stop drinking alcohol after diagnosis show significant improvement in their health within 6 to 12 months . Mild cases can be completely cured.
What is the difference between alcohol-induced hepatitis and cirrhosis?
Don't confuse the two. Cirrhosis is the final, most severe stage of liver disease.
Simply put, long-term hepatitis (inflammation) causes liver cells to continue to die and be replaced by scar tissue. When a large area of the liver becomes covered in this type of scar tissue, the condition is called cirrhosis. This scar tissue impairs blood flow to the liver, making it unable to properly process nutrients and filter toxins. Eventually, the liver can completely fail and even die.
Alcoholic hepatitis is a dangerous stop on the road to cirrhosis. It is reversible, but if ignored, the next step is irreversible cirrhosis.
Take-Home Message
- Alcohol-induced hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by excessive alcohol consumption. If this becomes chronic, it can cause permanent liver damage.
- In the early stages, symptoms include loss of appetite and pain in the right side of the abdomen, but as it progresses, more severe symptoms such as jaundice, bluish skin, and loss of consciousness appear.
- The only and best treatment for this disease is to completely stop drinking alcohol. This should be done under medical advice.
- If you stop drinking, the liver can recover if the disease is not severe. However, if you continue to drink, you will face fatal conditions such as cirrhosis.
- If you or someone you know has a problem with excessive alcohol use and the symptoms listed here, see a doctor immediately . Early detection and treatment can save your life.
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