Alcoholic Hepatitis Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors, Complications, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Alcoholic Hepatitis ?

It is a health condition marked by the inflammation of liver, triggered by consuming alcohol. Even though, those who consume excessive amount of alcohol for years are more prone to develop alcoholic hepatitis, yet the relationship between the two is complex. Reason being, not every person who drink heavily develops the condition, whereas on the other hand, few moderate drinkers tend to develop alcoholic hepatitis.

All in all, an individual diagnosed with condition must immediately quit the consumption of alcohol. People who do not take it seriously, and continue the intake of alcohol must prepare themselves for a serious damage to their liver. This can also lead to death.

What Are The Symptoms Of Alcoholic Hepatitis ?

Common symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis are:

• Yellowing of sclera.
• Yellowing of skin.
• Increasing girth (because of the fluid accretion).

The aforementioned symptoms can be distressing enough to seek medical aid. However; people with alcoholic hepatitis can also develop the following symptoms:

• Weight loss.
• Abdominal tenderness and pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Loss of appetite.

Nearly all patients of the health condition is malnourished, as excessive drinking suppresses your appetite. In addition, intense form of alcoholic hepatitis can root the following symptoms:

• Behavior changes and confusion. These are known to occur because of brain damage, caused by the accumulation of toxins, a condition known as encephalopathy.
• Holding greater amounts of fluids in the abdominal cavity, a condition known as ascites.
• Liver and kidney failure.

What Causes Alcoholic Hepatitis ?

Excessive consumption of alcohol is known to damage the liver. Though, it is yet not known as to

what amount of alcohol affects the liver.

What Are The Risk Factors Of Alcoholic Hepatitis ?

Few factors known to increase the chances of developing alcoholic hepatitis are:

• Excessive consumption of alcohol.
• Women have more tendencies to develop alcoholic hepatitis as compared to men.
• Being obese.
• Type of beverages for example spirits or beer tends to be more risky than wine.

What Are The Complications Of Alcoholic Hepatitis ?

Alcoholic hepatitis can lead a number of health complications, including:

• Jaundice.
• Fluid retention.
• Kidney failure.
• Enlarged veins.
• Scarred liver.
• Hepatic encephalopathy.
• High blood pressure in portal vein.

How Is Alcoholic Hepatitis Diagnosis ?

The doctor will need to know regarding your drinking habits and history of drinking. It is advice to be honest enough to answer your doctor’s questions for clear diagnosis. To check for liver diseases, the doctor can recommend the following:

• Liver function tests.
• Complete blood cell count.
• MRI, CT scan or ultrasound of liver.
• Rarely, blood test is needed to rule out other triggers of liver disease.

How Is Alcoholic Hepatitis Treatment ?

As mentioned earlier, to prevent further damage to the liver, it is advice to quit drinking at once after being diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis. Treatment focuses on special diet for the nutritional deficiencies caused by the condition. Besides, the doctor can prescribe medicines for easing the liver inflammation. Liver transplant is recommended for people with intense form of alcoholic hepatitis.

By : Natural Health News