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Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), also called alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), is a term that encompasses the liver manifestations of alcohol overconsumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.
Symptoms may present acutely after a large amount of alcoholic intake in a short time period, or after years of excess alcohol intake. Signs and symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis include jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity), fatigue and hepatic encephalopathy (brain dysfunction due to ...
Avoiding or restricting alcohol is the most straightforward way to prevent the symptoms of alcohol intolerance. [5] [6] [13] Tobacco use or exposure to secondhand smoke should be avoided, as smoking may increase levels of acetaldehyde. Certain medications may interact with alcohol and worsen symptoms.
Alcoholic liver disease is a major public health problem. For example, in the United States up to two million people have alcohol-related liver disorders. [151] Chronic heavy alcohol consumption can cause fatty liver, cirrhosis, and alcoholic hepatitis. Treatment options are limited and consist of most importantly discontinuing alcohol consumption.
The proportion of AST to ALT in hepatocytes is about 2.5:1, but because AST is removed from serum by the liver sinusoidal cells twice as quickly (serum half-life t 1/2 = 18 hr) compared to ALT (t 1/2 = 36 hr), so the resulting serum levels of AST and ALT are about equal in healthy individuals, resulting in a normal AST/ALT ratio around 1.
Alcohol use is a major cause of preventable liver disease worldwide, and alcoholic liver disease is the main alcohol-related chronic medical illness. [6] Millions of people of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, engage in unhealthy drinking. [7] In the United States, excessive alcohol use costs more than $249 billion annually. [8]
An abnormal liver will take longer but still succeeds, provided the alcohol does not cause liver failure. [ 34 ] People having drunk heavily for several days or weeks may have withdrawal symptoms after the acute intoxication has subsided.
Zieve's syndrome is an acute metabolic condition that can occur during withdrawal from prolonged heavy alcohol use. It is defined by hemolytic anemia (with spur cells and acanthocytes), hyperlipoproteinemia (excessive blood lipoprotein), jaundice (elevation of unconjugated bilirubin), and abdominal pain. [1] The underlying cause is liver ...