Why develop alcoholic hepatitis?

Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammatory process that takes place in the liver tissues and has a diffuse character. The disease, as a rule, is chronic and develops as a result of the negative impact on the liver of alcohol, as well as the products of its decay. In most cases, alcoholic hepatitis develops with regular use of alcohol for 5-7 years.

Alcohol, getting into the body, concentrates in the liver, decaying to acetaldehyde - a substance that exerts a toxic effect on the tissues. Thus, when taking alcohol in the body, a series of consecutive chemical reactions occur that lead to the hypoxia of liver cells - hepatocytes. With regular use of alcohol, necrosis of cells occurs. The severity of the course of the disease depends on the quality of the alcohol, the duration of use and the doses taken.

Characterizing alcoholic hepatitis the symptoms are similar to those of other types of hepatitis. Among them:

• The appearance of discomfort, pain, a feeling of heaviness in the right side, just below the ribs;
• Nausea, eructation of bitter taste, the appearance of diarrhea after taking fatty foods or alcohol;
• Signs of jaundice - the skin and sclera of the eyes acquire a characteristic yellow tint;
• Change in color of urine and feces;
• Sensation of weakness, temperature within 37 degrees, which is held for a long time.

In the development of alcoholic hepatitis, a considerable role can also be played by diseases of other gastrointestinal organs, which develop with alcohol abuse, for example, pancreatitis or cholecystitis.

Alcoholic hepatitis can occur in one of two forms. With a persistent form, the inflammatory process is reversible, provided that alcoholic beverages are discarded and treated in a timely manner. If the patient does not change the way of life, the disease turns into a progressive form. In this case, small foci of necrotic lesions appear on the liver. This condition is a precursor of liver cirrhosis, and this complication occurs in about a fifth of cases.

To diagnose alcoholic hepatitis, resort to a biochemical blood test. If there is a disease, a rise in the level of specific hepatic enzymes, as well as bilirubin, will be noted in the blood. To confirm the diagnosis, it is sometimes necessary to resort to liver biopsy, when a microscopic fragment of the hepatic tissue is extracted, which is then studied under a microscope.

Treatment of alcoholic hepatitis is, first of all, in the complete elimination of alcohol consumption. It should be noted that the compensatory capacity of the liver is so strong that sometimes only refusal of alcohol can lead to recovery.

If the patient, on the background of treatment, continues to drink alcoholic beverages, then the effectiveness of therapy is likely to be reduced to zero. So, in the presence of such a liver damage, it is very important to completely abandon alcohol, since even the minimal doses will have a very negative impact on the patient's well-being.

It is equally important during the treatment to adhere to a sparing diet, eliminating fried, spicy food and excess fat. At the same time, you should sit at the table at least five times a day and be sure to follow the diet.

In the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis, drugs from the group of hepatoprotectors are used, which help to restore damaged liver cells. There are many such drugs, the most commonly used are "Heptral" and "Essliver forte."

In patients with alcoholic hepatitis, as a rule, the stock of vitamins is depleted, so they are prescribed vitamin complexes, which must include folic acid.

In the case of severe liver damage and the development of liver failure, there are no other methods to save a patient, except liver transplant.

The only effective preventive measure against the development of alcoholic hepatitis is the exclusion of alcohol.