Alcohol Effects on the Liver

Alcohol can have profound effects on the human liver. Two major diseases, hepatitis and cirrhosis, are closely linked to drinking alcoholic beverages. Both of these conditions can develop when an individual drinks heavily or even in moderate amounts. Hepatitis is a term that describes an inflammation of the liver; cirrhosis is a scarring of the liver that can develop from hepatitis, as well as other causes.

The Liver

• The liver is one of the hardest working organs in the body and performs a wide variety of functions. Among the most important jobs the liver has is the processing of nutrients, the production of bile to aid in the digestion of food, cleansing toxins such as drugs, alcohol, and other dangerous substances from the blood and producing agents that aid in the clotting of blood. The liver has proven to have the ability to regenerate itself, but the effects of alcohol eventually wear down the liver, causing damage that in many cases cannot be reversed.

Alcoholic Hepatitis

• The process of breaking down alcohol in the liver results in inflammation. This is called alcoholic hepatitis and comes with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, fever and fatigue. As the cells in the liver are destroyed, the individual with this form of hepatitis will experience pain in the abdomen, dry mouth, thirst and weight gain. Other symptoms include a yellowing of the eyes and the skin known as jaundice and a loss of appetite.

Complications from Hepatitis

• If a liver is unable to filter the residue left over from old red blood cells known as bilirubin, then the substance will build up and deposit in the whites of the eyes and in the individual's skin. This is what is called jaundice and it ends up giving those areas a yellowish color. When a liver is affected negatively by alcoholic hepatitis, it can have problems removing dangerous toxins from the body. When toxins such as ammonia, which forms during digestive processes, cannot be eradicated by the liver, then brain damage can result. This is known as hepatic encephalopathy and can lead to confusion, personality changes and, in the worst cases, coma and death.

Cirrhosis

• Cirrhosis describes the scarring of the liver, which occurs when the tissue is repeatedly injured. One cause of cirrhosis of the liver is drinking alcohol, with alcoholic hepatitis eventually being able to develop into cirrhosis. As the tissue in the liver becomes scarred, there is less healthy tissue left to carry out the work of the liver. Cirrhosis can finally lead to liver failure because the liver is in time unable to function. Cirrhosis often displays no symptoms until it has become advanced. Some of the symptoms that manifest themselves include tiredness, the tendency to bleed and bruise easily, the accumulation of fluids in the abdominal region and a loss of appetite. Swelling in the legs known as edema and nausea can also occur.

Cirrhosis Complications

• Cirrhosis can damage the liver to the point where hepatic encephalopathy can develop as it does in cases of alcoholic hepatitis. A condition in the liver known as portal hypertension can come about when the major vein that delivers blood to the organ is affected by the presence of scar tissue from cirrhosis. This can make it more difficult for the blood to flow through the vein. Smaller veins in the region may be called upon to take on the blood that cannot pass through this portal vein. When these smaller vessels can no longer take the increased pressure, they can burst and cause serious amounts of bleeding in the liver. Cirrhosis also has been known to increase the risk of liver cancer.