Title 29. ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASES & CIRRHOSIS.pdf ✅

PHARMD GURU Page 1 ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASES INTRODUCTION:  Alcoholic Liver Disease is a syndrome of progressive inflammatory liver injury associated with long-term heavy intake of alcohol.  The pathogenesis is not completely understood. Though alcoholic liver disease is most likely to occur in people who drink heavily over many years, the relationship between drinking and alcoholic liver disease is complex.  Not all heavy drinkers develop alcoholic liver disease, and the disease can occur in people who drink only moderately.  Patients who are severely affected present with sub-acute onset of fever, hepatomegaly, leukocytosis, marked impairment of liver function (e.g., jaundice, coagulopathy), and manifestations of portal hypertension (e.g., ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, variceal hemorrhage). However, milder forms of alcoholic liver disease often do not cause any symptoms.  Alcoholic liver disease usually persists and progresses to cirrhosis if heavy alcohol use continues.  If alcohol use ceases, alcoholic liver disease resolves slowly over weeks to months, sometimes without permanent sequelae but often with residual cirrhosis.  Of all chronic heavy drinkers, only 15–20% develops hepatitis or cirrhosis, which can occur concomitantly or in succession. ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASES & CIRRHOSIS