This article looks at the causes of alcoholic liver disease, its symptoms, and its treatment. It also discusses survival rates after diagnosis. Many years of heavy drinking causes inflammation of the liver. This is also called alcoholic hepatitis. Note that "hepatitis" is a term used to describe any inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis can have both viral and non-viral causes. You do not need to drink every day to develop alcoholic hepatitis. A few days a week of heavy drinking over many years can also cause liver disease.
You are at risk whether or not your drinking makes you feel drunk. Inflammation of the liver can lead to scarring. Extensive scarring is called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is the final phase of alcoholic liver disease. How long you have to live after your diagnosis depends on your health and how far the disease has progressed.
Of all the things you can do to increase your lifespan, the most important may be to quit drinking. Only some heavy drinkers will develop alcoholic liver disease. Your rate of risk depends on:.
If you're worried you might have alcoholic liver disease, see a doctor right away. A variety of factors can affect your symptoms, including:. In the early stages, you may not have any symptoms.
If you do have symptoms, they may seem to worsen after a period of heavy drinking. The three main categories of symptoms are:. In the early stages of alcoholic liver disease, you may have no symptoms. Later symptoms may include digestive problems, skin problems, and problems related to the brain and nervous system. For alcoholic hepatitis, the percentage of people who are expected to die within the first 30 days after diagnosis is difficult to predict. If you have alcoholic liver disease, your healthcare providers will try to predict your short-term prognosis.
Different scoring models can be used to predict each person's prognosis. Our outpatient and partial hospitalization rehab will accommodate the daily responsibilities of our clients without interfering with their work, school and family obligations.
Our clients will be able to discuss rehab options that best fit their needs. We walk them through the entire recovery process. We encourage that you talk to one of our team experts in substance abuse to answer all your questions about getting help for yourself or an addicted loved one. Medical Disclaimer The content of this website such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the website are for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice; the Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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A year follow-up study of people in Norway with severe alcoholic cirrhosis showed that 71 percent of the people in the study had died within 5 years of diagnosis. The mortality rate 15 years after diagnosis was 90 percent. Continued alcohol consumption and advanced age were linked to a higher mortality rate in people with cirrhosis. This is a limited study, but it shows that cirrhosis is a serious condition that severely reduces life expectancy and impairs quality of living.
Cirrhosis is responsible for 12 deaths in every , members of the United States population. Cirrhosis is graded on a scale called the Childs-Pugh score as follows:. Doctors also classify cirrhosis as either compensated or decompensated. Compensated cirrhosis means that the liver can function normally despite the damage. A liver with decompensated cirrhosis cannot perform its functions correctly and usually causes severe symptoms.
Rather than being viewed in terms of its own stages, cirrhosis is often seen as a final stage of liver disease. Hepatitis B and C together are said to be the leading causes of cirrhosis. Other causes include:. Toxins, including alcohol, are broken down by the liver. However, if the amount of alcohol is too high, the liver will be overworked, and liver cells can eventually become damaged.
Heavy, regular, long-term drinkers are much more likely to develop cirrhosis, compared with other, healthy people. Typically, heavy drinking needs to be sustained for at least 10 years for cirrhosis to develop. Hepatitis C, a blood-borne infection, can damage the liver and eventually lead to cirrhosis. Hepatitis C is a common cause of cirrhosis in Western Europe, North America, and many other parts of the world.
Cirrhosis can also be caused by hepatitis B and D. NASH, in its early stages, begins with the accumulation of too much fat in the liver.
The fat causes inflammation and scarring, resulting in possible cirrhosis later on. NASH is more likely to occur in people who are obese, diabetes patients, those with high fat levels in the blood, and people with high blood pressure.
Sometimes the liver is attacked. Eventually, the patient can develop cirrhosis. Some conditions and diseases, such as cancer of the bile ducts, or cancer of the pancreas, can block the bile ducts, increasing the risk of cirrhosis.
This condition causes blood clots in the hepatic vein, the blood vessel that carries blood from the liver. Severe scarring of the liver is the condition known as cirrhosis. The development of cirrhosis indicates late stage liver disease and is usually followed by the onset of complications. The largest risk factor for liver disease from alcohol is the amount and the length of time the individual has been drinking.
Males often develop complications that appear to be on a gender basis as well. Each individual is entirely different. Complication can develop after 5 to 10 years, though it more commonly it takes 20 to 30 years. Many individuals appear to never develop end stage liver disease from alcohol.
This is impossible to predict ahead of time. Hepatitis is a generic term. It indicates inflammation and damage to liver cells. This damage can be caused by drugs, toxins, alcohol, inherited diseases, certain metabolic diseases, and viruses. Commonly, hepatitis refers to viral hepatitis. There are a wide variety of viruses that can cause hepatitis, but again most commonly the term refers to the viruses designated A, B, C, D, E, and G. Hepatitis C virus-positive patients face a number of difficulties due to the unfortunate stigma that is attached to this carrier status.
In most occupations this is not a risk and can be avoided by common sense. In situations where there is a risk of exposure due to trauma, due to use of needles or knives or other situations of this sort, it is probably best and most appropriate to let the employer know.
In most situations, including the health care field, this is not a reason to not employ the individuals.
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