What Are The First Signs Of Liver Damage From Alcohol?

What Are The First Signs Of Liver Damage From Alcohol
About alcohol-related liver disease – Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) refers to liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake. There are several stages of severity and a range of associated symptoms. ARLD doesn’t usually cause any symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged. When this happens, symptoms can include:

feeling sick weight loss loss of appetite yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice) swelling in the ankles and tummy confusion or drowsiness vomiting blood or passing blood in your stools

This means ARLD is frequently diagnosed during tests for other conditions, or at a stage of advanced liver damage. If you regularly drink alcohol to excess, tell your GP so they can check if your liver is damaged. Read more about:

symptoms of ARLD diagnosing ARLD

How do you know if your liver has been damaged by alcohol?

Causes – Alcoholic liver disease occurs after years of heavy drinking. Over time, scarring and cirrhosis can occur. Cirrhosis is the final phase of alcoholic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease does not occur in all heavy drinkers. The chances of getting liver disease go up the longer you have been drinking and more alcohol you consume.

You do not have to get drunk for the disease to happen.
The disease is common in people between 40 and 50 years of age.
Men are more likely to have this problem.
However, women may develop the disease after less exposure to alcohol than men.
Some people may have an inherited risk for the disease.
Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to dangerous damage called alcoholic liver disease.

Let’s talk today about alcoholic liver disease. Alcoholic liver disease usually occurs after years of drinking too much. The longer you’ve abused alcohol, and the more alcohol you’ve consumed, the greater likelihood you will develop liver disease. Alcohol may cause swelling and inflammation in your liver, or something called hepatitis.

Over time, this can lead to scarring and cirrhosis of the liver, which is the final phase of alcoholic liver disease. The damage caused by cirrhosis is unfortunately irreversible. To determine if you have alcoholic liver disease your doctor will probably test your blood, take a biopsy of the liver, and do a liver function test.

You should also have other tests to rule out other diseases that could be causing your symptoms. Your symptoms may vary depending upon the severity of your disease. Usually, symptoms are worse after a recent period of heavy drinking. In fact, you may not even have symptoms until the disease is pretty advanced.

Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red. You may notice small, red, spider-like blood vessels on your skin.

You may have abnormal bleeding. Your stools might be dark, bloody, black, or tarry. You may have frequent nosebleeds or bleeding gums. You may vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. Alcoholic liver disease also can affect your brain and nervous system.

Symptoms include agitation, changing mood, confusion, and pain, numbness, or a tingling sensation in your arms or legs. The most important part of treatment is to stop drinking alcohol completely. If you don’t have liver cirrhosis yet, your liver can actually heal itself, that is, if you stop drinking alcohol.

You may need an alcohol rehabilitation program or counseling to break free from alcohol. Vitamins, especially B-complex vitamins and folic acid, can help reverse malnutrition. If cirrhosis develops, you will need to manage the problems it can cause. It may even lead to needing a liver transplant.

How long do you have to drink before liver damage?

How long do you have to drink before liver damage? – People with serious liver damage have usually been drinking for 20 or more years. But complications can develop after 5 to 10 years of heavy drinking. Again, this can be highly variable between individuals and is likely genetic.

How do you know if your liver is struggling?

by Themis Kourkoumpetis, MD Jan 17, 2022 The liver, about the size of a football, is the body’s largest internal organ. It sits on the right side of your body just under your rib cage and acts as a filtration device, removing harmful substances from the blood.

A general unwell feeling, An underperforming liver can’t filter toxins out of the bloodstream, resulting in fatigue, headaches and skin problems. Jaundice or yellowing of the skin and eyes Frequent gassy sensation, When a damaged liver doesn’t secrete digestive juices to break down food, you may experience routine bloating and stool pressure. Confusion, When the liver isn’t working properly, toxins can build up, causing brain fog. This is called hepatic encephalopathy. You may also be confused and disoriented. Fluid retention : A weak liver can result in swelling due to fluid retention, especially of the feet and ankles Dark urine : Urine that is darker than usual, accompanied by white stool Loss of appetite and sudden weight loss Vomiting blood Itching Loss of muscle and muscle weakness

The main causes of liver disease include viruses like hepatitis, alcohol use disorder and fatty liver disease. Despite the great strides in curing hepatitis, liver disease is more prevalent than ever. Excess alcohol consumption can lead to liver disease, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer.

Cirrhosis is a common cause of end-stage liver disease.
Often, a liver transplant is needed when cirrhosis progresses to the point that scar tissue replaces healthy tissue and the liver stops functioning.
While alcoholic liver disease typically follows years of heavy drinking, binge drinking can result in rapid progression of liver disease.

The other contributing factor to the rise in liver disease is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. “It’s because of our lifestyle,” said Themis Kourkoumpetis, a transplant hepatologist on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth.

We aren’t getting enough exercise, we’re drinking too much soda and we’re eating a large amount of fast food.
A growing portion of our population has diabetes, high cholesterol or obesity.” But the good news about this type of liver disease is that is 100% reversible, according to Dr.
Ourkoumpetis.
And so is alcoholic liver disease, which is the third leading cause of preventable death in the US,” he said.

By making healthy food choices, exercising and avoiding alcohol, damage done to the liver can be reversed. But without those lifestyle changes, 1 in 10 liver patients will go on to develop cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure and may need a liver transplant.

How do you detox your liver?

A liver detox, cleanse, or flush is a program that claims to take out toxins in your body, help you lose weight, or improve your health. You want to do everything you can to take an active role in your health. But if you think you need a liver detox, you should know that there isn’t much it can do for you.

Your liver is one of the largest organs in your body. It helps remove waste and handles various nutrients and medicines. Most people think a cleanse will help their liver remove toxins after they drink too much alcohol or eat unhealthy foods. Some hope it will help their liver work better on a daily basis.

Many believe it’ll help treat liver disease. Like most detoxes, a liver cleanse has specific steps. It may tell you to fast or to drink only juices or other liquids for several days. You might need to eat a restricted diet or take herbal or dietary supplements,

Some detoxes also urge you to buy a variety of products. There are medical treatments for liver diseases. But nothing shows that detox programs or supplements can fix liver damage. In fact, detoxes may harm your liver. Studies have found that liver injuries from herbal and dietary supplements are on the rise.

Green tea extract, for example, can cause damage like that from hepatitis. And the coffee enemas involved in some regimens can lead to infections and electrolyte problems that might be deadly. Other things to know about these programs and products:

Some companies use ingredients that could be harmful. Others have made false claims about how well they treat serious diseases.Unpasteurized juices can make you sick, especially if you’re older or have a weakened immune system.If you have kidney disease, a cleanse that includes large amounts of juice can make your illness worse.If you have diabetes, be sure to check with your doctor before you start a diet that changes how you usually eat.If you fast as part of a detox program, you may feel weak or faint, have headaches, or get dehydrated. If you have hepatitis B that has caused liver damage, fasting can make the damage worse.

There isn’t any scientific proof that cleanses remove toxins from your body or make you healthier. You may feel better on a detox diet simply because you aren’t eating highly processed foods with solid fats and processed sugar. These foods are high in calories but low in nutrition.

Detox diets can also cut out foods that you might be allergic or sensitive to, like dairy, gluten, eggs, or peanuts.
Doctors say liver detoxes aren’t important for your health or how well your liver works.
There’s no proof that they help get rid of toxins after you’ve had too much unhealthy food or alcohol.

Ways to help your liver after drinking too much alcohol There’s a limit on how much alcohol your liver can handle at one time. It has to work harder when you drink too much. Over time, this can lead to inflammation, scarring, or cancer, If you’re going to drink alcohol, experts recommend no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.

A drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or one shot of liquor.
Your liver can heal minor damage from alcohol in days or weeks.
More severe damage could take months to heal.
And after a long time, it may be permanent.
Give your liver a break by avoiding alcohol at least 2 days in a row each week.

Your overall health and your genes affect your liver. So do your diet, lifestyle, and environment. Liver detox programs don’t treat damage or prevent disease. Ways to prevent liver disease Lifestyle changes can help keep your liver healthy without detox programs.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.Eat a well-balanced diet every day. That’s five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, along with fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to include protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.Keep a healthy weight, Exercise every day if you can. Check with your doctor first if you haven’t been active.Cut down on risky behavior that can lead to viral hepatitis:

Avoid recreational drugs, If you do use them, don’t share needles or straws to inject or snort them.Don’t share razors, toothbrushes, or other household items.Get tattoos only from a sterile shop.Don’t have unprotected sex with people you don’t know.

A few studies have linked liver cleanses with weight or fat loss, but they’ve been low-quality or looked at only a small number of people. Other research has found that a detox program’s low-calorie diet may lead to early weight loss, but people tend to regain the pounds as soon as they go back to their usual diet.

Eat a healthy diet with plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables.Exercise regularly.Follow guidelines on alcohol use.

Milk thistle is an herb that contains a compound called silybin. Some people claim that it helps your liver work better and can help treat liver disease. But just as there isn’t enough evidence that liver detoxes work, there isn’t enough to show that milk thistle or extracts make your liver healthier.

Some studies say compounds from milk thistle have helped ease the symptoms of certain types of liver disease. But no research shows that it treats the disease itself. Turmeric, sometimes called “the golden spice,” can give your body a boost and may help protect against liver injury. But there’s not enough research to support using it regularly for prevention.

Dandelion has also been considered a natural remedy for various conditions. More study is needed to prove that it works. Remember that FDA rules about supplements aren’t the same as for foods or medicines. There’s no guarantee that that they work the way they say or that they’re safe.

What foods are good for liver repair?

Foods that support liver health include berries, cruciferous vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and fatty fish. Coffee and green tea contain antioxidants that are helpful for liver health.

Do all heavy drinkers get cirrhosis?

Conclusion – Alcoholic liver disease is a major source of alcohol–related morbidity and mortality. Heavy drinkers and alcoholics may progress from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis, and it is estimated that 10 percent to 15 percent of alcoholics will develop cirrhosis.

The likelihood of developing ALD is, to a large extent, a function of both the duration and amount of heavy drinking, and the per capita consumption of alcohol within populations has been shown to be a strong determinant of cirrhosis mortality rates. Recent studies also suggest that alcohol and hepatitis C may exert a multiplicative effect on risk for cirrhosis and other liver disease.

Although ALD remains a major cause of death, important declines in ALD death rates have been observed in recent years. Undoubtedly these declines were caused in part by changes in alcohol consumption rates, but because the mortality rate decline began when consumption was still increasing, other factors appear to be involved as well.

To date, the evidence indicates that increases in participation in AA and other treatment for alcohol abuse have played an important role in reducing cirrhosis mortality rates.
Other research has suggested that cirrhosis mortality rates may be more closely related to consumption of certain alcoholic beverages—specifically spirits—than to total alcohol consumption, and that beverage–specific effects can account for the fact that cirrhosis rates appeared to decrease although consumption rates were increasing in the 1970s.

Important differences in ALD rates in men and women and among different ethnic groups have been found as well. Further research into these differences is likely to lead to improved prevention and treatment of alcohol–related liver disease.

Can my liver heal if I stop drinking?

How ARLD is treated – There’s currently no specific medical treatment for ARLD. The main treatment is to stop drinking, preferably for the rest of your life. This reduces the risk of further damage to your liver and gives it the best chance of recovering.

If a person is dependent on alcohol, stopping drinking can be very difficult.
However, support, advice and medical treatment may be available through local alcohol support services,
A liver transplant may be required in severe cases where the liver has stopped functioning and doesn’t improve when you stop drinking alcohol.

How can I test my liver at home?

Lab.Me Crucial Health Test –

Price: $$ Accepts insurance: no

The Crucial Health Test from Lab.Me is an all-in-one at-home test to check both cardiovascular and liver health. You can complete the finger prick collection method in about 5 minutes, and results are available online within 2 to 3 days after the lab receives your sample.

What does a bad liver feel like?

Is cirrhosis painful? – Yes, cirrhosis can be painful, especially as the disease worsens. Pain is reported by up to 82% of people who have cirrhosis and more than half of these individuals say their pain is long-lasting (chronic). Most people with liver disease report abdominal pain,

Pain in your liver itself can feel like a dull throbbing pain or a stabbing sensation in your right upper abdomen just under your ribs. General abdominal pain and discomfort can also be related to swelling from fluid retention and enlargement of your spleen and liver caused by cirrhosis. Pain can come both from the diseases that lead to cirrhosis and/or cirrhosis can make the pain from existing diseases worse.

For instance, if you have non-alcohol related fatty liver disease and have obesity, you may also have osteoarthritis and cirrhosis makes your bone and joint pain worse. Cirrhosis also causes an inflammatory state in your entire body. Inflammation and your body’s reaction to inflammation can cause general pain.

Does every heavy drinker get liver damage?

Do all alcoholics get alcoholic hepatitis and eventually cirrhosis? – No. Some alcoholics may suffer seriously from the many physical and psychological symptoms of alcoholism, but escape serious liver damage. Alcoholic cirrhosis is found among alcoholics about 10 to 25 percent of the time.

How likely is liver damage from alcohol?

The likelihood of developing ALD is, to a large extent, a function of both the duration and amount of heavy drinking, and the per capita consumption of alcohol within populations has been shown to be a strong determinant of cirrhosis mortality rates.
Recent studies also suggest that alcohol and hepatitis C may exert a multiplicative effect on risk for cirrhosis and other liver disease.

To date, the evidence indicates that increases in participation in AA and other treatment for alcohol abuse have played an important role in reducing cirrhosis mortality rates. Other research has suggested that cirrhosis mortality rates may be more closely related to consumption of certain alcoholic beverages—specifically spirits—than to total alcohol consumption, and that beverage–specific effects can account for the fact that cirrhosis rates appeared to decrease although consumption rates were increasing in the 1970s.

What is the first stage of liver damage?

Stage 1: Inflammation – In the early stages of liver disease, the liver will become swollen or inflamed as the body’s natural response to injury. Liver inflammation, or hepatitis, can also occur when there are more toxins in the blood than the liver is able to manage.

How can I check my liver at home?

Can I take the test at home? – There are at-home liver panel tests that can determine liver function by screening for proteins and enzymes like albumin, globulin, ALP, ALT, and GGT. These tests use a finger-prick sample and include materials to collect and send your specimen to the lab.