Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Symptoms
Published on Mar 01 2010, in the categories: Liver Disease, symptoms
On the alcoholic fatty liver disease symptoms axis there is much to be said. First of all, yes, alcohol is a major cause for liver disease and, of course, for fatty liver, but there is more to it. Thus, if you are interested in the alcoholic fatty liver disease symptoms connection, read on.
Hepatic steatosis or fatty liver is considered one of the most common liver diseases and is caused by a wide range of factors. Alcohol remains the main cause for steatosis, as well as obesity and diabetes. Studies by doctors demonstrate that hepatic steatosis is an early and constant complication of alcoholism in moderate drinkers, hardcore drinkers developing a disease called cirrhosis.

The amount of ingested alcohol is the most important risk factor in the development of steatosis. Specialists say a 80 ml quantity of alcohol consumed daily for several years favors the occurrence of hepatic steatosis. Thus, it was observed that women often develop the disease. In combination with alcohol, an enabling role in the occurrence of this disease is each patient's genetic condition.
In time, there is a significant increase in chronic viral hepatitis type C in patients with fatty liver disease. The combination of hepatitis C virus infection and alcohol affects your liver more than alcohol alone. Such patients have a lower survival rate and develop the disease at younger ages. Hepatitis C infections cause a serious risk to develop liver cancer in patients with cirrhotic liver. Moreover, this infection contributes to increasing the severity of steatosis.
The evolution of steatosis is favorable, the only chance of a complete cure being the complete abstinence from alcohol for 5-6 weeks. However, in chronic alcoholics, steatosis is associated with alcoholic hepatitis and, in such cases, hepatocellular insufficiency occurs. The disease also affects obese people, as well as patients with diabetes. Most times, the disease has no symptoms, only the fact that the patient complains of epigastric pain, possibly sensitive to palpation and jaundice rarely occurs. In the final stages of alcoholic liver disease, the patient's only chance of survival is a liver transplant. Six months of abstinence from alcohol is a necessary requirement for liver transplantation.
Fatty liver is one of the most common liver diseases and in one of 4 patients the illness progresses to a more serious stage of the disease. In fact, fatty liver disease means that an excess of fat accumulates in liver cells and the liver is not functioning as it would normally. Some patients diagnosed with the disease sometimes reach steato-hepatitis and then fibrosis, which are severe stages of the disease.

Hepatic steatosis, as steato-hepatitis, can be cured if the patient wants it, because the liver tissue can regenerate. The same cannot be said for a patient who has already reached fibrosis, a complicated stage of the disease. Fibroses are some scars that appear in the liver due to inflammation. These scars take out entire sections of liver tissue. Once fatty livers found, the patient will be regularly monitored. Such patients must observe a sanitary regime, food, lifestyle and medication treatment. Even if the disease does not heal, doctors can prevent it from getting worse. Drug treatment is closely linked to the food diet.
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