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Alcoholic Hepatitis – Learn how to prevent it

July 28, 2020

Alcoholic Hepatitis – Learn how to prevent it
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The harmful use of alcohol has been estimated to cause approximately 3.3 million deaths every year, corresponding to nearly 6% of all deaths globally.

Alcoholic hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by drinking alcohol. Alcoholic hepatitis is most likely to occur in people who drink heavily over many years. … Not all heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, and the disease can occur in people who drink only moderately also.

Your liver is the largest organ in your body. It processes alcohol into various by products. These byproducts produce toxins that cause damage to the liver. The liver cells die and are replaced by scar tissue leading to fibrosis, followed by cirrhosis and or cancer in people.

Alcoholic hepatitis- Risk Factors

Alcohol does not affect every person in the same way. People who drink heavily may never develop the condition, while people who drink occasionally may develop it.

Heavy episodic drinking is defined as consumption of more than 60gms of pure alcohol on one occasion and generally, people who binge drink, which is defined as men who have 5 or more drinks and women who have 4 or more drinks within a few hours are at risk of damaging their liver.

Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis

  • Jaundice- yellow eyes and skin
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fever
  • Swollen belly
  • Weight loss
  • Nausea / vomiting

Treatment options

The first step is to quit drinking. If your liver damage is minimal then this will reverse the damage. The treatment plan will include:

  • Steroids to reduce swelling of the liver after confirmation of the diagnosis through liver biopsy.
  • Antibiotics to fight bacterial infections if any
  • Diet change, with high protein diet to +/- low sodium diet
  • Diuretics to reduce water retention if kidney function tests are normal.
  • Vitamin supplements to boost immune system

If the damage is extensive and treatment is not effective, your liver may go into failure and may require a liver transplant.

If you have alcoholic hepatitis and if you suddenly develop

  • Sever jaundice
  • Mental confusion
  • Pass black tarry stool
  • Vomit blood
  • Fever with chills
  • Fluid buildup in the abdomen

rush to a hospital for immediate treatment.

Dr. Rela Hospital is one of the leading liver care and liver transplant centres in the world. World renowned liver specialists, excellent diagnostics, advanced technology and latest procedures and treatments are available under one roof.

For complete hepatitis care contact: 044 – 6666 7777

Disclaimer: We recommend consulting a Doctor before taking any action based on the above shared information.


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