Alcoholic Liver Symptoms

Chronic alcoholic liver disease is a direct consequence of alcoholism. Depending on the severity of the alcoholism, the liver in question and some other factors, the symptoms of chronic liver disease may not become apparent quickly. In some cases, visible symptoms do not begin appearing until irreversible damage has already been done to this crucial organ.

Significance

• The liver is home to the main filtration system for the blood stream. It also manufactures bile, a highly acidic substance that aids the body in breaking down complex fats. It metabolizes toxins like alcohol and pharmaceutical products to ensure proper organ function. It stores many important vitamins like vitamin A and B, and manufactures proteins. When it becomes damaged by alcohol, its function in all of these areas becomes severely impaired. Repeated and severe alcohol abuse can result in liver failure or partial liver failure, making it so that the patient requires a transplant in order to live.

Function

• The symptoms of liver problems do not always develop and display as soon as severe damage starts. The symptoms also do not always happen all at once or all together. Some of the symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight fluctuation, oddly colored stools, dark urine, muscle pain, depression, jaundice and pervasive feelings of illness. Only treating the symptoms can conceal the underlying issue. Patients with alcohol abuse problems should be open with their physician about how much they drink, so the disease can be better addressed.

Effects

• The effects of serious liver disease are often ignored or waved off by alcoholics as ordinary side effects from drinking. Alcoholism affects up to 10 percent of American men and about three percent of women. One of the most common causes of liver disease among alcoholics is actually malnutrition, in combination with the heavier work load that the organ has to filter all of the alcohol continuously surging through the bloodstream. Persistent fatigue is a common early symptom of every kind of alcoholic liver disease.

Considerations

• Liver cirrhosis, or scarring, is one very common effect of alcohol abuse. It can also lead to steatosis, also known as fatty liver. It can also lead to hepatatis, which first presents with jaundice. The symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include a severe vitamin deficiency that can be treated with alcohol abstinence and regular intake of vitamins along with ongoing treatment for alcoholism. The painful and life-threatening effects of alcoholic liver disease are not the sole dangers of alcoholism, but they are some of the most severe and difficult to reverse.

Identification

• Cirrhosis is the accumulated scarring done to liver tissue by alcohol and other toxins. What was once a healthy liver becomes replaced by fibrous masses of scar tissue, which impedes free blood flow through the organ. Although it is not well known, the problems caused by cirrhosis can lead to brain dysfunction, as dangerous substances that would otherwise be properly filtered by the liver slip past the blood-brain barrier, causing reduced mental function and other more severe symptoms. Kidney pain can also become an issue, as cirrhosis leads to reduced kidney function--and in some cases failure--in the later stages of alcoholism.