alcoholic liver disease

(noun)

A term that encompasses the hepatic manifestations of alcohol over-consumption, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis.

Related Terms

Examples of alcoholic liver disease in the following topics:

  • Absorption of Alcohol

    • Women, certain ethnicities and persons with liver disease may process alcohol more slowly.
    • Alcoholic liver disease is a major public health problem.
    • In cases of severe liver disease, the only treatment option may be a liver transplant in alcohol-abstinent patients.
    • Moderate alcohol consumption also increases the risk of liver disease.
    • Consumption of alcohol is unrelated to gallbladder disease.

  • Hepatitis

    • Bacterial diseases can also cause liver inflammation, such as tuberculosis and tick-borne diseases.
    • Non-infectious causes of hepatitis include alcohol, autoimmune conditions, drugs, circulatory insufficiency, metabolic diseases, pregnancy, and toxins.
    • Alcoholic hepatitis can vary from mild with only liver test elevation to severe liver inflammation with development of jaundice and liver failure.
    • Alcoholic hepatitis can occur in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic cirrhosis.
    • For those with alcohol-induced hepatitis, cessation of drinking is recommended, as alcoholic hepatitis is often the beginning of more serious drinking-related liver disorders.

  • Jaundice

    • Jaundice is often seen in liver disease such as hepatitis or liver cancer.
    • Commonly, diseases of the kidney, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, can also lead to coloration.
    • Hepatocellular (hepatic) jaundice can be caused by acute or chronic hepatitis, hepatotoxicity, cirrhosis, drug induced hepatitis, and alcoholic liver disease .
    • Also, a group of parasites known as "liver flukes" can live in the common bile duct, causing obstructive jaundice.
    • A combination of liver function tests is essential to arrive at a diagnosis.

  • Liver Function

    • The various functions of the liver are carried out by the liver cells or hepatocytes.
    • The liver breaks down or modifies toxic substances, such as alcohol , and most medicinal products in a process called drug metabolism.
    • A healthy liver can break down alcohol.
    • However, the overstressed liver of an alcoholic may become clogged with fats, adversely affecting liver function.
    • This type of tissue is most common in alcoholic hepatitis (prevalence of 65%) and alcoholic cirrhosis (prevalence of 51%).

  • Pancreatic Cancer

    • Diabetes mellitus is both a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, and as noted earlier, new onset diabetes can be an early sign of the disease.
    • It is controversial whether alcohol consumption is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
    • Although drinking alcohol excessively is a major cause of chronic pancreatitis, which in turn predisposes to pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis associated with alcohol consumption is less frequently a precursor for pancreatic cancer than other types of chronic pancreatitis.
    • Liver function blood tests can suggest the presence of pancreatic cancer through elevated liver enzyme levels.
    • Although only localized cancer is considered suitable for surgery with curative intent at present, only around 20 percent of cases present with localized disease at diagnosis.

  • Regulation of Blood Cholesterol Levels

    • The ratio of HDL to LDL is a useful screening method to determine your possible risk for heart disease or stroke.
    • The cholesterol within all the various lipoproteins is identical, although some cholesterol is carried as the "free" alcohol and some is carried as fatty acyl esters referred to as cholesterol esters.
    • Cholesterol that is not used by muscles remains in more cholesterol-rich chylomicron remnants, which are taken up from here to the bloodstream by the liver.
    • VLDL molecules are produced by the liver and contain excess triacylglycerol and cholesterol that is not required by the liver for synthesis of bile acids.
    • In contrast, having small numbers of large HDL particles is independently associated with atheromatous disease progression within the arteries.

  • Colorectal Cancer

    • High fat, alcohol, or red meat intakes are risk factors for colorectal cancer as is obesity, smoking, and a lack of physical exercise.
    • People with inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease, are at increased risk of colon cancer.
    • The risk is greater the longer a person has had the disease and the worse the severity of inflammation.
    • If there are only a few metastases in the liver or lungs they may also be removed.
    • The two most common sites of recurrence if it occurs are in the liver and lungs.

  • Overview of Cancer

    • Due to the wide variety of cancerous diseases, six hallmarks are used to group and define cancers:
    • As the disease progresses, systemic symptoms such as weight loss, fever, and tiredness can develop.
    • Additionally, symptoms associated with metastasis—such as enlarged lymph nodes, an enlarged liver, or an enlarged spleen—can develop.
    • Cancers are primarily associated with environmental factors such as smoking, obesity, high alcohol consumption, radiation exposure, and environmental pollutants.
    • Cancer is a disease of dysregulated cell proliferation.

  • Insulin Secretion and Regulation of Glucagon

    • Glucose is stored in the liver in the form of the polysaccharide glycogen, which is a glucan.
    • Liver cells have glucagon receptors and when glucagon binds to the liver cells they convert glycogen into individual glucose molecules and release them into the bloodstream—this process is known as glycogenolysis.
    • As these stores become depleted, glucagon then encourages the liver and kidney to synthesize additional glucose by gluconeogenesis.
    • Glucagon also turns off glycolysis in the liver, causing glycolytic intermediates to be shuttled to gluconeogenesis that can induce lipolysis to produce glucose from fat.
    • It's main role is to promote the conversion of circulating glucose into glycogen via glycogenesis in the liver and muscle cells.

  • Skin Color as a Diagnostic Clue

    • Changes in skin color can be diagnostic of trauma (bruising), environmental, or physiological changes (jaundice, melasma, and liver spots).
    • It is often seen in liver disease such as hepatitis or liver cancer.
    • The incidence of melasma also increases in patients with thyroid disease.
    • The spots derive their name from the fact that they were once incorrectly believed to be caused by liver problems, but they are physiologically unrelated to the liver, save for a similar color.
    • Liver spots are very common in this age group, particularly in those who spend a lot of time in the sun.