Early Symptoms That Alcohol Is Ruining Your Liver

Alcohol abuse has a detrimental effect on all systems of the human body. It is especially harmful to the liver. It is this internal organ that is responsible for the metabolism of many substances, including poisons such as ethanol. For this reason, if you regularly consume high-alcohol drinks, it can be seriously damaged. What are the early symptoms of alcoholic liver disease? Is ethanol consumption a cause of disease in this organ?

1. Ethanol is metabolized primarily in the liver, and its excess causes damage to this organ
2. Alcohol abuse leads to the development of alcoholic liver disease, such as alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis
3. The early stages of alcoholic liver disease are usually asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to detect these diseases at low stages
4. Early diagnosis and treatment of alcoholic liver disease significantly improves patients’ prognosis
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

What are the functions of the liver?

The liver is a large organ located in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen, under the ribs. It is responsible for the metabolism of many substances in food.

In the digestive system, food is digested and broken down into smaller particles that are absorbed by the intestinal walls. Then they are transported through the portal vein directly to the liver. There, all substances are processed. Those desired, such as lipids or vitamins, can be stored or converted into, for example, cholesterol. On the other hand, poison particles are detoxified.

The most important functions of the liver are:

1. glucose production, storage and release,
2. conducting fat management, i.e. breaking down lipids taken with food into fatty acids or synthesizing cholesterol,
3. managing protein transformations by, for example, synthesizing albumin and prothrombin,
4. accumulating supplies of vitamins A, D and B12,
5. accumulation of iron resources,
6. neutralizing toxins, for example alcohol and ammonia,
7. hormone coupling and degradation,
8. metabolizing drug molecules,
9. production of bile, i.e. a substance necessary for the digestion of fats,
10. absorption and degradation of undesirable particles in the body, such as: products of inflammatory processes, immune complexes, lipoproteins, viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.

It is worth taking care of the liver all the time, not only when there are problems associated with it. As a preventive measure, drink an infusion prepared on the basis of SteroHerbs Liver – a herbal mixture sold on Medonet Market in an economical large package.

The rest of the text below the video.

Alcoholic Liver Disease – Three Types of Liver Disease

Almost all people who abuse alcohol are affected by alcoholic liver disease. There are three diseases in this group. Sometimes they can occur simultaneously. The most common of these is alcoholic fatty liver disease. If you continue drinking regularly, it will turn into alcoholic hepatitis, known as liver fibrosis.

The last and most serious of these diseases is alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. It often leads to a situation in which the only salvation for the patient is the transplant of this organ.

Alcoholic fatty liver – symptoms

Alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs in the vast majority of people who drink too much alcohol. This problem affects not only patients who are seriously addicted to this drug. Anyone who regularly consumes ethanol should be alert to any worrying symptoms and frequent check-ups such as abdominal ultrasound and liver palpation.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease is often asymptomatic. In this condition, the affected organ is enlarged, which can be detected by ultrasound or by a routine examination by a family doctor.

The first symptoms of alcoholic fatty liver disease include:

1. abdominal discomfort caused by an enlarged liver,
2. chronic fatigue,
3. sudden weight loss that cannot be explained by other cause
4. decrease in appetite,
5. nausea and vomiting (this is quite a rare symptom).

What to do when you have symptoms of alcoholic fatty liver disease?

Excessive alcohol consumption disrupts the process of breaking down lipids into fatty acids in the liver and causes the deposition of fat in the tissue of this organ. Fortunately, this process is reversible. The main element of treatment is abstinence from alcohol.

Immediately after noticing symptoms of alcoholic fatty liver disease, stop all drinks containing ethanol completely. Sometimes it is enough to refrain from drinking for just a few weeks. In some cases, it is necessary to abstain for life.

Alcoholic hepatitis – symptoms

Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation in this organ combined with progressive fibrosis. The changes caused by this condition usually begin to improve after several months of abstinence. It happens that this type of disease remains latent for many years.

Acute alcoholic hepatitis most often affects people who have drunk a large amount of alcohol in a short time, for example at a party. This type of disease is extremely serious and is life-threatening. His treatment is carried out in a hospital. The most severe symptoms of this disease are:

1. jaundice,
2. fever,
3. chronic fatigue,
4. loss of appetite
5. swelling,
6. ascites,
7. symptoms of liver failure, such as acute pains in the right upper abdominal quadrant or nausea and vomiting.

Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver – symptoms

Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver is similar to other types of cirrhosis. The symptoms are very diverse. Belong to them:

1. jaundice,
2. low-grade fever and fever,
3. swelling, especially on the limbs,
4. ascites,
5. esophageal varices,
6. neurological disorders:
7. concentration disorders,
8. impaired consciousness,
9. disturbances in the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.

Alcoholic Cirrhosis Of The Liver – What To Do When Symptoms Are Present?

The liver tissue changes in the course of alcoholic cirrhosis of this organ are irreversible. Treatment is based on preventing further damage to this organ. It is imperative that you stop drinking alcohol altogether.

Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver can lead to liver cancer. Very often, the only chance of recovery for patients with any of these diseases is a liver transplant.

Liver damage caused by alcohol reduces the ginseng root infusion.

Alcoholic liver disease – risk factors

Due to the fact that alcoholic liver disease is often asymptomatic, it is very difficult to detect it quickly. The earlier they are diagnosed with a given patient, the better their prognosis. This is why knowing the risk factors for this group of diseases is considered even more important than knowing about its symptoms.

Of course, alcohol consumption has the greatest influence on the likelihood of developing the disease. It is dangerous to drink moderate amounts of it every day and to binge drink excessively at intervals of several weeks. Taking ethanol between meals is considered particularly harmful. Other risk factors for alcoholic liver disease include:

1. female – although alcohol addiction it is much more common in men than in women, drinking ladies are burdened with a much higher risk than men,
2. obesity – overweight people should, for their own safety, consider stopping alcohol consumption altogether,
3. viral liver infections – coexistence alcoholic liver disease with hepatitis C and hepatitis B is very common,
4. genetic predisposition – the rate of alcohol metabolism, susceptibility to addiction and the risk of developing alcoholic liver disease are factors that are largely inherited, especially in the maternal line,
5. smoking,
6. increased iron levels in the liver,
7. taking certain medicationsfor example methotrexate used in the treatment of cancer, severe psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Alcoholic Liver Disease – How To Avoid Them?

In order to avoid developing alcoholic liver disease, it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle. The most important thing is to avoid drinking too much alcohol. The volume of ethanol that is completely safe for consumption has not been determined so far. It is best to try not to exceed the level of 0,5 blood alcohol per mille.

People who are obese or who suffer from hepatitis B or C are advised to abstain from alcohol completely. In their case, the risk is too great to take. To avoid infection with hepatitis C and B viruses, you must not engage in risky sexual behavior and use injecting drugs. Other factors that can reduce the risk of developing alcoholic liver disease include quitting smoking and following a healthy, balanced diet, and, if you are obese, achieving a healthy weight.

Alcoholic liver disease is a serious epidemiological problem. Almost all ethanol abusers suffer from alcoholic fatty liver disease, which often leads to the development of inflammation and fibrosis of the liver cells, followed by alcoholic cirrhosis.

The early symptoms that alcohol is ruining your liver are unremarkable, so they often go unnoticed. These include fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, and abdominal discomfort.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to ecology. How to be eco and not go crazy? How can we care for our planet on a daily basis? What and how to eat? You will hear about this and many other topics related to ecology in the new episode of our podcast.