There are two ways alcohol abuse can cause Alcoholic Liver Diseases. They are:

• ● Binge drinking: Consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short period is called binge drinking. Binge drinking can cause alcoholic fatty liver disease and mild hepatitis. The damage caused by binge drinking can be reversed by abstaining from alcohol.
• ● Over-consumption of alcohol: Consuming alcohol beyond the recommended limits for many years can permanently damage your liver. It can lead to liver cirrhosis that can potentially lead to liver failure.

• ● Loss of weight
• ● Fatigue
• ● Loss of appetite
• ● Swelling in limbs
• ● Curving of nails
• ● Extreme itching
• ● Blood in vomit and stools
• ● Nausea
• ● Sleepiness
• ● Swollen abdomen
• ● Hepatic encephalopathy (mental disorientation)
• ● Jaundice

• For the diagnosis of Alcoholic Liver Diseases, the doctor may ask you to undergo the following tests:
• ●Blood tests: Blood tests will help your doctor detect excess bilirubin or enzymes that may indicate liver malfunction. It may also help the doctor know if there’s any blood clotting which is a sign of liver damage.
• ● Abdominal CT scan: A CT scan helps produce cross-sectional images of the abdomen. It uses infrared rays to produce high-quality images and can help accurately detect abnormalities in the liver.
• ● Endoscopy: During endoscopy, your doctor will pass an instrument with a camera (endoscope) through the oesophagus into your liver. The endoscope transmits images to an external screen and helps detect swollen veins or liver damage.
• ● Liver biopsy: A biopsy helps detect any scarring or damage to the tissue or cells of the organ. In a liver biopsy, a small amount of cells is extracted from the liver. The cells are then sent to the laboratory to determine the extent of scarring and damage.

• ● Abstinence from alcohol: It is necessary to stop consuming alcohol for at least two to six weeks to reverse the signs of fatty liver disease. For more severe conditions, you may require to abstain from alcohol for your entire life.
• ● Medications: Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids to reduce inflammation of the liver. Other than that, doctors may also give multivitamins, antibiotics, and probiotics.

Surgical Treatment

• ● Liver Transplant: Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is a procedure to replace the diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. It is considered when the liver stops functioning adequately and can occur because of an infection or a certain prolonged problem.

Liver transplant is commonly done through orthotopic transplantation, in which the liver is replaced with a liver from a donor. The surgery takes approximately 4 to 18 hours, depending on the damage and outcome.

Results

The alcoholic liver disease progresses rapidly and may drastically reduce your life expectancy. Limit your alcohol intake to the recommended amount to reduce the chances of permanent damage. Visit your doctor if you see any of the signs or symptoms mentioned above.

• ● Bile duct complications, including bile duct leaks or shrinking of the bile ducts
• ● Bleeding
• ● Blood clots
• ● Failure of a donated liver
• ● Infection
• ● Rejection of donated liver
• ● Mental confusion or seizures

To stop your body from rejecting the liver, various anti-rejection medicines are given. However, they can lead to side-effects in your body like:

• ● Bone thinning
• ● Diabetes
• ● Diarrhoea
• ● Headaches
• ● High blood pressure
• ● High cholesterol

One of the biggest complications of liver transplant includes the recurrence of liver disease in the body.

• ● Loss of brain function
• ● High blood pressure
• ● Bleeding in the oesophagus
• ● Liver failure

• ● Fried foods
• ● Sugary food items
• ● A high amount of salt
• ● Processed foods