People with alcohol-related cirrhosis tend to have a less favorable prognosis, in part because the liver scarring cannot be reversed and additional complications may develop. For these patients, a liver transplant is often the best option. Continued liver damage due to alcohol consumption can lead to the formation of scar tissue, which begins to replace healthy liver tissue. When extensive fibrosis has occurred, alcoholic cirrhosis develops. The first stage of the illness is fatty liver disease, or steatosis. This happens when fat starts to accumulate in the liver, which is responsible for metabolizing alcohol.

Everything to Know About Alcoholic Liver Disease

Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease are rising, especially among younger adults and women. Certain biopsy and blood test results can help doctors predict a person’s prognosis better. Doctors can also use formulas and models (which combine various test results) to help predict prognosis. Anemia may develop because bleeding occurs in the digestive tract or because people develop deficiencies of a nutrient needed to make red blood cells (certain vitamins or iron).

Symptoms and Signs of Alcohol-Related Liver Disease

But, in fact, opioids play a key role in alcohol’s effect on the neurotransmitter dopamine, which underlies the pleasurable effects of alcohol and most other drugs. As of May 2024, three medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of alcohol use disorder. The oldest and best known of these medications is disulfiram—sold under the brand name Antabuse—a compound that was first used in the American rubber industry. And, notably, trials of gabapentin against placebo as a treatment for alcohol use disorder and withdrawal have had mixed results (an extended-release version failed to work better than placebo). Here are some frequently asked questions people have about chronic liver disease.

Risk factors for alcohol-related liver disease

At this stage, depending on the patient’s use of alcohol, the doctor may diagnose alcohol use disorder. In its advanced stages, alcohol-related liver disease is alcoholic liver disease a serious, life-threatening condition. In 2019, for instance, alcohol-related liver disease resulted in the death of approximately 37,000 people in the U.S.

• Not getting the right nutrients from your diet makes it harder for your liver to recover, so eating well is key to treating your condition.
• Brief intervention, pharmacotherapy, and referral to treatment should be offered to patients engaged in hazardous drinking (ie, heavy or binge drinking) (3, 4).
• While treating ALD it is important not only to abstain from alcohol but also become conscious of other factors that could affect the liver.
• Liver cancer develops in 10 to 15% of people with cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse.
• But the link between drinking and alcoholic hepatitis isn’t simple.
• Scarring in your liver blocks the flow of blood and oxygen through your liver tissues.

Alcohol consumption

Once your healthcare provider has diagnosed cirrhosis, they’ll also check for common side effects. Portal hypertension is the most common side effect and comes with its own set of complications, each requiring specific treatments. Even if your liver disease is from other factors, eliminating alcohol and drugs that damage your liver will help preserve your liver longer. Healthcare providers recommend that anyone with any type of liver disease should try to maintain eat healthy foods and achieve a weight that’s healthy for you. In addition, some people might need dietary supplements to treat nutritional deficiencies.

Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis

What Stages Aren’t Reversible?

How is alcohol-related liver disease treated?

• The researchers tested the gel’s efficacy by giving it to mice that had taken alcohol once, as opposed to those who’d received it for 10 days.
• He and his collaborators then matched 24,477 pairs of patients who had been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder and prescribed gabapentinoids or acamprosate.
• Only about half the people with these complications are still alive after 5 years.
• Your provider will test you for both and treat you if needed.