🥚 Gastrointestinal🟢 BasicLiver Disorders

Alcoholic Liver Disease

The spectrum of liver damage caused by long-term heavy drinking, from a fatty liver to hepatitis and finally cirrhosis.

Key points

Long-term heavy alcohol use damages the liver in a spectrum, from a reversible fatty liver, through alcoholic hepatitis, to irreversible cirrhosis.
Fatty liver is the earliest and reversible stage, in which fat builds up in the liver cells without much inflammation.
Alcoholic hepatitis is active inflammation, which can cause jaundice, a tender enlarged liver and, when severe, liver failure.
Cirrhosis is the final scarred stage, with the complications of portal hypertension, such as varices and fluid in the abdomen (ascites).
Stopping alcohol can allow the earlier stages to recover, but established cirrhosis is permanent.

Memory trick

Alcoholic liver disease is a spectrum: fatty liver (reversible), then alcoholic hepatitis (jaundice, tender big liver, can fail), then cirrhosis (scarred, portal hypertension, varices, ascites); stopping alcohol helps the early stages, but cirrhosis is permanent.

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🥚 Gastrointestinal🟢 BasicLiver Disorders

Alcoholic Liver Disease

The spectrum of liver damage caused by long-term heavy drinking, from a fatty liver to hepatitis and finally cirrhosis.

Key points

Long-term heavy alcohol use damages the liver in a spectrum, from a reversible fatty liver, through alcoholic hepatitis, to irreversible cirrhosis.
Fatty liver is the earliest and reversible stage, in which fat builds up in the liver cells without much inflammation.
Alcoholic hepatitis is active inflammation, which can cause jaundice, a tender enlarged liver and, when severe, liver failure.
Cirrhosis is the final scarred stage, with the complications of portal hypertension, such as varices and fluid in the abdomen (ascites).
Stopping alcohol can allow the earlier stages to recover, but established cirrhosis is permanent.

Memory trick

All of General Medicine More Gastrointestinal