|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

Alcohol Liver Damage Symptoms

Heavy alcohol consumption has been known to cause numerous health issues. Not only can you become mentally dependent on alcohol, your body's organs can suffer extensive damage. Perhaps one of the most vulnerable organs to alcohol abuse is the liver.

  1. Liver Function

    • The liver performs a number of critical functions for your body. One of the main jobs it has is the purification of toxins. The liver processes your blood and removes the toxins either by direct neutralization (known as Phase 1) or by producing chemicals that break down the toxins (Phase 2).

    Alcohol Effects

    • Alcohol triggers Phase 1 detox, which turns the alcohol into a neutral chemical but produces free radicals. Free radicals are harmful to the body, especially the liver tissue. They can only be removed by antioxidants. Moderate amounts of alcohol intake have no real effect on the liver if enough anti oxidants are in the system. It treats the alcohol as a toxin just like anything else and removes it from the blood. However, if too much alcohol is in the blood, the liver cannot continuously neutralize it or control the free radicals. The alcohol can begin to damage the liver cells.

    Fluid Collection

    • One sign of possible alcoholic liver disease is the collection of fluids in the intestinal cavity. This is called ascites. It is associated with liver cirrhosis, which is when liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue. Extra fluids that would normally be processed by the liver begin to overflow and collect near the intestines.

    Jaundice

    • Jaundice is the yellowing of skin, especially around the eyes. It happens when old, red blood cells are not properly filtered out of the body. Those blood cells have a byproduct called bilirubin that the liver normally breaks down. Bilirubin is responsible for the yellowing. With a malfunctioning liver, bilirubin will remain in the system and not pass through the biliary tract into the intestine.

    Hallucinations

    • With advanced liver damage, the brain can suffer from hallucinations due to Hepatic encephalopathy. This happens when the toxic substances in the blood that are normally processed by the liver make their way into the brain. Tremors and agitation can also be associated with these symptoms.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles