Liver Disease

Alcoholism is the most common cause of liver disease. To see why this is a problem, we must first look at the liver and why this organ is important. Being the second largest organ in your body, the liver preforms many tasks that effect an individual's entire being. Mainly, it processes what a person eats and drinks and turns this into energy and nutrients to fuel the rest of the body. It also filters harmful substances from the blood. When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol travels through their bloodstream and is filtered by the liver. If a person drinks more alcohol than the liver can process, it can become seriously injured or damage. It is common knowledge that the liver can repair itself, but alcohol can severely damage or destroy these liver cells – sometimes beyond repair. When this happens, it is called liver disease. There are three main types of alcohol-induced liver disease. They include fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcohol cirrhosis.

Fatty liver disease is the earliest stage of any alcohol-related liver disease. It is caused by the build up of extra fat in the liver cells. It is hard to tell when this happens because the symptoms are usually very mild and not recognized in a lot of patients. They may include weakness, fatigue, and weightloss. It can safely be assumed that almost all heavy drinkers have fatty liver disease. Luckily, because the liver is such a powerful organ, if these drinkers stop drinking, this stage of the disease will stop progressing, and the liver will repair itself to its normal state.

Alcohol hepatitis is caused in up to thirty-five percent of heavy drinkers. This disease causes damage to the liver, and it begins to swell. Alcohol hepatitis can be mild or severe. If it is mild, the damage done to the liver can still be reversed. If it is severe, it can happen suddenly and lead to immediate complications like liver failure. It can even lead to sudden, unexpected death. Symptoms of alcohol hepatitis may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and jaundice.

Ten to twenty percent of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic cirrhosis. This is the scarring of the liver which is caused by hard scar tissue replacing the soft, healthy tissue. Alcoholic cirrhosis is the most damaging type of alcohol-induced liver disease, and it exhibits symptoms similar to those of alcohol hepatitis. The damage done from alcoholic cirrhosis cannot be reversed and can end in liver failure. However, not drinking alcohol can prevent further damage to the liver.

People who already have a chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis C, are at a higher risk for developing and quickly progressing through alcoholic cirrhosis. Complications from alcohol-related liver diseases can be serious. They may include a build up of fluid in the abdomen, bleeding from the veins in the esophagus or stomach, an enlarged spleen, high blood pressure, brain disorders, coma, kidney failure, and liver cancer. Much of these complications from liver disease can be avoided or treated. Because alcoholism is a dangerous disease as well, alcohol rehab provides treatment for liver damage. The specific ways that liver damage is treated is through a healthy diet, abstinence from alcohol, and possible medications to help manage any complications that may have arisen. If you have a liver disease or are worried that you may be developing one, get help and get treatment. Chances are, you can save your liver and become completely healthy in the process!