Alcohol-Induced Liver Disease (ALD) is a Major Cause of Illness

(ALD) is a major cause of illness and death. Fatty liver, the most common form of ALD, is reversible. More serious ALD includes alcoholic hepatitis, characterized by persistent inflammation of the liver, and cirrhosis, characterized by progressive scarring of liver tissue.

Heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, and others develop cirrhosis. Normal liver function is essential to life. Alcohol-induced liver damage disrupts the body's metabolism, eventually impairing the function of other organs. Medications that affect these mechanisms may help prevent some of the medical complications of ALD or reduce the severity of the illness. Most of the alcohol a person drinks is eventually broken down by the liver. However, some products generated during alcohol metabolism are more toxic than alcohol itself. In addition, a group of metabolic products can damage liver cells and promote inflammation, impairing vital functions such as energy production. The body's natural defenses against free radicals can be inhibited by alcohol consumption, leading to increased liver damage.

Susceptibility to ALD differs considerably among individuals, so that even among people drinking similar amounts of alcohol, only some develop cirrhosis. Understanding the mechanisms of these differences may help clinicians identify and treat patients at increased risk for advanced liver damage.

Structural or functional variability in any of the cell types could influence a person's susceptibility to ALD. Nutritional factors influence the progression of ALD. Women develop ALD after consuming lower levels of alcohol over a shorter period of time compared with men.

Abstinence is the cornerstone of ALD therapy. For terminally ill patients, liver transplantation remains the last option. Research is being done further in this field.