Causes and symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis

In our article will talk about the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis and the causes of its causing. The excessive use of alcohol adversely affects the entire body, but first of all the liver suffers from this. In it, there are degenerative changes, capable in some cases to cause even cirrhosis, which in the end can lead a person to an early death. What factors cause alcoholic hepatitis, symptoms and treatment of the disease - all these issues will be considered in this review article.

Causes of alcoholic hepatitis

The main cause that causes alcoholic hepatitis is visible already from the very name of the disease - it is alcohol, or rather, abuse of it. In general, this disease is susceptible to alcoholics - people with persistent alcohol dependence. There is evidence that if a person for several years daily enters into your body 100 gr. Ethyl alcohol, then he is at risk. Such quantity of ethanol is contained:

• In one glass of vodka.
• In 1.25 liters. Dry or semisweet wine with a strength of 9-13 degrees.
• In 2.5 liters. Classic beer.

Moreover, the onset of the disease is not caused by ethyl alcohol itself, but by the toxin that is formed when ethanol is processed in the body. This toxin is an aldehyde or acetaldehyde. It is this substance that disrupts the synthesis of phospholipids in the liver. And phospholipids are organic compounds, due to which oxygen enters the liver cells and important nutrients.

As soon as the normal permeability of the cell membranes is disturbed, this serves as a signal for the onset of the onset of the inflammatory process. The body begins to produce cytokines - protein markers of inflammation. With the usual inflammation of the tissues, the immune system, after receiving a command from cytokines, begins an attack on foreign cells (bacteria, viruses). In the case of alcoholic hepatitis for "aliens" immunity takes the liver cells and begins the process of their destruction.

The liver is the main filter (along with kidneys) for purifying blood from the body's vital activity products, from toxins released by microbes and bacteria that multiply in the body when it is infected and the inflammatory processes that occur in it. If such a filter breaks down and ceases to perform its functions, then self-poisoning of the organism takes place.

Chronic alcoholic hepatitis: symptoms

Such a formidable disease as alcoholic hepatitis, in most cases, develops slowly. For a long time (5-8 years or more) a person may not notice any manifestations of the disease. However, over time, as the pathology progresses, the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis begin to increase. Alertness should cause the following symptoms:

• Drowsiness, a sense of weakness, inhibition.
• Tangible decrease in efficiency.
• Indigestion, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting.
• Lowering blood pressure.
• Yellowing of the mucous membrane of the mouth and skin.
• Pain on the right under the ribs.
• Enlarged liver in size, which can be detected by probing.
• Appearance on the face of a grid of capillary vessels.
• Redness of feet and palms.

If a person observes similar symptoms in his or her life, not necessarily all together, but at least some of them, then this is an excuse to contact the doctor to exclude or confirm the diagnosis - alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms in women and men who are addicted to alcohol should in no way be ignored by them.

The temperature in the first stages of the disease may not rise or stay at the subfebrile level. There are still signs of hepatitis, which are manifested in the stronger sex: the deposition of fat on the hips, hair loss on the body, the development of erectile dysfunction, in conjunction with the main features listed above - are the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis in men.

Whether there are differences of the disease with alcoholic hepatitis by sex

Women are not for nothing given a weak sex, because they are weaker than men in many ways. That's the disease, which is discussed in this article, develops and progresses more rapidly. The thing is that special enzymes that can dispose of alcohol in the female body are much less than in the male. But the main specific symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis in women are the same as in men.

Three stages of the disease

There are three main stages of alcoholic liver damage.

First, fatty hepatosis or fatty degeneration of the body. This symptom is observed in 90% of people who abuse alcohol for a long time. As a rule, at this stage, people do not consider themselves ill and do not suspect that they are threatened with alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms, signs of a beginning illness are still weakly expressed. These include:

• Decreased appetite.
• Rapid fatigue and loss of strength.
• Increase in adipose tissue.
• Formation of bruises on the skin even with slight pressure.

At this stage, active deposition of fat takes place inside the liver cells, causing them to swell and, as it were, swell.

Secondly, the stage of hepatitis. Pathological changes in the liver are steadily progressing. The process of fibrosis is started, in which normal tissue is replaced by connective scars. Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis begin to actively manifest themselves. On the right side, under the ribs the patient can experience very painful sensations, the liver increases, which is well felt by palpation. A person begins to lose weight, experiences constant weakness. In the hepatitis stage, complications such as peritonitis or venous bleeding can occur .

And the last stage is cirrhosis. Alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, the symptoms of which can be detected during a severe course of the disease, often follow one after another, ie, hepatitis passes into the stage of cirrhosis. In this case, patients are observed:

• Extreme exhaustion.
• Ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, making the stomach look unnaturally bloated).
• When palpating the liver, a person feels very strong pain.
• The pronounced jaundice not only of the skin, but also the sclera of the eyes.
• Portal hypertension.
• Bad biochemical indicators of blood.

In the organ there is a mass death of liver cells, large areas of connective tissue are formed, changing the structure of the liver and its functionality. Also in patients there is an increase in body temperature and encephalopathy (poisoning of nerve fibers by the decomposition of liver structures).

Forms of chronic alcoholic hepatitis

The disease can occur in one of two forms:

1. Reversible form. In case of complete abstinence from alcohol intake and correctly selected treatment, it is possible to restore all liver functions and the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis then go completely.
2. Progressive form. Alas, in this case, the symptomatology is gradually increasing and the patient's condition is steadily deteriorating. This is due to the fact that liver cells degenerate into connective tissue, that is, in the vital organ, dead areas are formed that do not perform any functions. The liver greatly increases in size, thereby trying to compensate for the loss of its functionality.

With complete refusal of alcoholic, persistent treatment and implementation of all the recommendations of the attending physician, even in the presence of a progressive form of the disease, it is still possible to achieve stabilization of the condition. If this can not be achieved, then, unfortunately, alcoholic hepatitis in a progressive form, eventually turns into cirrhosis or even liver cancer.

Acute alcoholic hepatitis: symptoms

A condition that is extremely dangerous for life is alcoholic hepatitis in an acute form. In most cases, the disease manifests itself in this way after several years of abuse of alcohol-containing beverages. But the organisms of different people have their own characteristics, so there are cases when acute hepatitis occurs the next day after a long feast with a lot of alcohol (for example, on holidays).

Here is a list of the initial symptoms of acute alcoholic hepatitis:

• Sensation of bitter taste in the oral cavity.
• Nausea and the subsequent vomiting.
• A sharp temperature jump (above 38 degrees).
• Bloating.
• Pain on the right in the hypochondrium.
• A liquid stool.
• Feeling of numbness of legs and tongue.
• The growing weakness.
• Disorders of the psyche, manifested in inadequate behavior, unmotivated aggression, etc.
• A day or two after the above symptoms, the skin acquires a yellowish color.

It should be noted that acute alcoholic hepatitis can occur in different forms, which give different symptoms. Severe condition can last from three to five weeks.

Four forms of the disease

1. The icteric form. According to statistics, it occurs most often. It manifests itself, in addition to icteric coloration of the skin, severe weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite (until complete refusal of food), nausea and vomiting, fever, increased spleen. Below you can see how jaundice, which is caused by alcoholic hepatitis, looks like. Symptoms of the photo shows very clearly.
2. Latent form of the disease. It is considered very dangerous, since it proceeds practically without symptoms. The patient feels minor pain in the right hypochondrium (not always) and a decrease in appetite. The liver can be enlarged (not in all cases). When blood tests are usually detected anemia and increased levels of leukocytes.
3. Cholestatic form. In most cases, it leads to death. It is recognized by the following manifestations: light feces, dark urine, itchy skin, the skin acquires a pronounced yellow shade, the content of bilirubin in the blood and urine goes off scale.
4. Fulminatic form. It is characterized by transient nature and rapid progression of the disease. The patient's condition deteriorates sharply, the skin turns yellow, the temperature rises, the patient completely refuses food, complains of severe weakness and pain under the ribs on the right side, kidney failure may develop. Because of the rapid progression of the disease in two weeks a person can die.

Diagnostics

As can be seen from the above, alcoholic hepatitis is a serious and often direct threat to human life. The successful outcome of the disease depends on how quickly the diagnosis is made and treatment is started. Therefore, do not hesitate to consult a doctor if you have symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis.

Diagnosis may include the following tests and procedures:

• Blood test (general). It reveals the presence of anemia and the level of leukocytes in the blood.
• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. Ultrasound examination allows you to see the pathological changes that occurred in the liver, identify inflammation, measure the diameter of the portal vein, see whether there is a congestion of the fluid in the abdominal cavity, etc.
• Blood test (biochemical). It allows you to determine how much liver function is preserved.
• Coagulogram.
• Lipidogram.
• Studies to determine the duration of the drinking period.
• Urinalysis (general).
• Coprogram.
• MRI.
• Liver biopsy. During the procedure, a small piece of the organ is taken for examination.
• Elastography. During this examination, the status of liver structures is evaluated.

Medication

Continuing the conversation about alcoholic hepatitis, the symptoms and treatment of this disease, I want to say that success largely depends on the behavior of the patient himself, who must necessarily refuse to take even the most miserable doses of alcohol. When medically treated, the patient requires strict adherence to the instructions for taking medication. With alcoholic hepatitis, doctors prescribe:

• Medications that preserve and stimulate the activity of liver cells are called hepatoprotectors (Essentiale, Karsil, Heptral, etc.)
• Preparations are cholagogue, and also detoxifying toxic substances and possessing a restorative effect.
• Vitamin complexes ("Duovit", "Undevit", "Decamewith", "Oligovit", etc.)
• Glucocorticoids.
• Preparations that do not allow the formation of connective tissue in the liver.
• In severe forms of the disease, antibiotic courses are prescribed.

Surgery

In the case of alcoholic hepatitis, doctors resort to surgery only if the lesions in the liver are so huge that the drug therapy is powerless.

In such difficult situations, transplantation of a part of the liver of one of the patient's relatives can help. But even this is not always able to help, because sometimes the body of the patient begins to tear away the foreign tissue.

What should be the patient's diet?

You already know a lot about chronic and acute alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms and treatment were discussed in the article. But there is another important component in the fight against hepatitis. Patients are required to diet, the most gentle liver and allows you to give a breather to the whole body. Of course, first of all it is necessary to turn completely from alcohol and exclude fat food from the diet. Then you need to follow these rules:

• There are at least 5-6 times a day, in small portions, trying to observe equal intervals between meals.
• It is important to saturate the diet with digestible proteins.
• Nutrition should include a sufficient number of vitamins and minerals needed by the body.

Of course, even strict adherence to a diet is not capable of curing a disease, a proper diet only reduces the burden on the body and helps to restore it.

Prevention of disease

As can be seen from the article, alcoholic hepatitis can kill a person very quickly, and this disease is able in a short time to bring to the grave even young and strong people, if they abuse alcohol.

To ensure that this disease with an absolute guarantee has bypassed you, it is better to reduce alcohol consumption to a minimum, or even better to give it up altogether. Good balanced nutrition, limited or refusal from smoked foods, fried and tinned foods, from fatty or too hot food works well on liver health.

Alcoholic hepatitis, symptoms, causes and their consequences are inseparable. The liver is an amazing organ, capable of regeneration in the event that pathological changes do not go too far. Therefore, if a person, having felt for the first time after a feast with libations, unpleasant sensations in the liver (severity, tingling in the right side), finally and irrevocably quits drinking and will follow a reasonable diet, the liver will recover and will no longer disturb him.

The difference between alcoholic hepatitis and hepatitis viral

Often at specialized forums people ask the question: "What are the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis C in men and women?" Such a statement of the question indicates some confusion, since such a disease as hepatitis C, as well as hepatitis A, B, D, E, F, in contrast to alcoholic (toxic) hepatitis, are caused by various viruses that have entered the body. Viral liver damage can occur even in young children, who never smelled alcohol.

Confusion arises from the similarity of most of the initial symptoms of both viral and toxic hepatitis. This is jaundice, pain in the hypochondrium on the right, weakness, fever, digestive disorder, etc.

There are situations when a person who is sick with hepatitis C, also takes alcohol or even falls into a drinking-bout. In this case, the course of the disease is repeatedly exacerbated, since the protective functions of the liver are weakened by a viral disease and the ingestion of ethanol into the body practically finishes the diseased organ. Such a frivolous attitude towards health can lead to a rapid lethal outcome.

Concluding remarks

Well, that's the end of our article, which narrated about chronic and acute alcoholic hepatitis, the symptoms and treatment of this dangerous disease. Drunkenness and alcoholism bring people a lot of suffering, both moral and physical. Probably, this is known to every adult person. Surprisingly, even being aware of the harmful effects of alcohol on the human body, many people still continue to drink. I would like to hope for the triumph of reason. Let's take care to stay active and healthy longer!