LIVER DISEASE

THE MAIN CAUSES OF LIVER DAMAGE

Drinking alcohol – Drinking too much alcohol can lead to three types of liver conditions - fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Any, or all, of these conditions can occur at the same time in the same person.

What is alcoholic liver disease?

Fatty liver

A build-up of fat occurs within liver cells in most people who regularly drink heavily. In itself, fatty liver is not usually serious and does not cause symptoms. Fatty liver will usually reverse if you stop drinking heavily. However, in some people the fatty liver progresses and develops into hepatitis.

Alcoholic hepatitis

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The inflammation can range from mild to severe.

Mild hepatitis may not cause any symptoms. The only indication of inflammation may be an abnormal level of liver enzymes in the blood which can be detected by a blood test. However, in some cases the hepatitis becomes persistent (chronic), which can gradually damage the liver and eventually cause cirrhosis.

A more severe hepatitis tends to cause symptoms such as feeling sick, jaundice (yellowing of the skin, caused by a high level of bilirubin - a chemical normally metabolised in the liver), generally feeling unwell and, sometimes, pain over the liver.

A very severe bout of alcoholic hepatitis can quickly lead to liver failure. This can cause deep jaundice, blood clotting problems, confusion, coma, bleeding into the guts, and is often fatal.

The main treatment for alcoholic hepatitis is to provide adequate nutrition (this sometimes involves passing liquid feeds through a tube in the stomach) and steroids.

Alcoholic cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a condition where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue (fibrosis). The scarring tends to be a gradual process. The scar tissue affects the normal structure and regrowth of liver cells. Liver cells become damaged and die as scar tissue gradually develops. So, the liver gradually loses its ability to function well. The scar tissue can also affect the blood flow through the liver which can cause back pressure in the blood vessels which bring blood to the liver.

About 1 in 10 heavy drinkers will eventually develop cirrhosis. It tends to occur after 10 or more years of heavy drinking. Note: cirrhosis can develop in people who have never had alcoholic hepatitis.

Cirrhosis can happen from many causes other than alcohol. For example, persistent viral hepatitis and some hereditary and metabolic diseases. If you have another persistent liver disease, and drink heavily, you are likely to increase your risk of developing cirrhosis.

Cirrhosis can lead to end-stage liver disease (liver failure). However, in the early stages of the condition, often there are no symptoms. You can get by with a reduced number of working liver cells. But, as more and more liver cells die, and more and more scar tissue builds up, symptoms start to appear. The eventual symptoms and complications are similar to a severe episode of hepatitis (listed above). However, unlike a bout of severe hepatitis, the symptoms and complications tend to develop slowly.

What are the other problems of drinking alcohol?

Drinking alcohol can be also harmful to:

·         Some stomach disorders.

·         Pancreatitis (severe inflammation of the pancreas)

·         Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety

·         Sexual difficulties such as impotence

·         Muscle and heart muscle disease

·         High blood pressure

·         Damage to nervous tissue

·         Accidents - drinking alcohol is associated with a much increased risk of  accidents. In particular, injury and death from fire and car crashes. About 1 in 7 road deaths are caused by drinking alcohol.

·         Some cancers (mouth, gullet, liver, colon and breast).

·         Obesity (alcohol has many calories)

·         Damage to an unborn baby in pregnant women

·         If you drink heavily you have an increased risk of developing alcohol dependence (addiction).

Not enough sleep are also the main causes

Not urinating in the morning

Too much eating habit

Skip breakfast

Consume too much medication.

Consume too much preservatives, additives, food colouring, and artificial sweetener.

Consume unhealthy cooking oil.  As much as possible reduce cooking oil when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule.'