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What Are The Causes Of Alcohol-Induced Hepatitis?

12th April, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Alcohol-induced hepatitis is a liver disorder that happens when the liver becomes inflamed due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol-induced hepatitis, which many people simply call alcoholic hepatitis, is different from cirrhosis of the liver, which is also frequently caused by alcohol abuse. They’re not the same.. But hepatitis brought on by alcohol use is considered to be an early stage of alcoholic liver disease.

Not all heavy drinkers get hepatitis brought on by alcohol use. Curiously, some individuals with hepatitis brought on by alcohol use, drink very little.

It is possible to recover from hepatitis brought on by alcohol use if you stop using alcohol. But when you have this disorder, continuing to consume alcoholic beverages raises your possibility of cirrhosis and liver failure considerably. When the liver fails, getting a liver transplant is the only way you can survive.

Researchers have not been able to discover the relationship between alcohol and hepatitis, but a variety of have been put forward. It’s clear that when you drink alcohol, toxic substances are created in the liver. These substances result in irritation, which in turn causes the liver to become inflamed. This causes healthy liver tissue to be replaced by scar tissue. This scarring process is the very definition of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is the ultimate phase of alcoholic liver disease.

It’s also not known why some people who drink heavily never develop hepatitis brought on by alcohol use or cirrhosis, while other individuals who just consume moderately do This circumstance leads researchers to speculate that factors in addition to the use of alcohol can have some influence on who eventually suffers the condition. Heredity may well be a factor too.

If you already suffer from liver trouble, and you drink, you have a higher chance of developing hepatitis brought on by alcohol use. This is especially true if you have hemochromotosis. Hemochromotosis is a condition in which an excessive amount of iron accumulates in the body.

Malnutrition may be another factor influencing who gets hepatitis brought on by alcohol use. Heavy drinkers often have a poor diet and nutrition habits, and can also substitute alcohol for food sometimes. Toxic by-products of alcohol limit digestion processes. Once again, there may be damage to liver tissue as a result.

As is true with most liver conditions, symptoms are scarce in the early stages of hepatitis from alcohol use. But as the disease worsens, symptoms become more prominent. Symptoms differ from one individual to another but often pain and soreness in the abdomen is common, along with ascites, in which there’s a fluid accumulation in the abdomen. Getting unusually also occurs often too.

Constant fatigue, weakness and dizziness are often accompanied by memory problems in addition to confusion. Occasional fever and vomiting, sometimes with blood, may occur.

Even though people with hepatitis brought on by alcohol use doesn’t feel like eating much, they are likely to experience a weight gain.

A yellowish pallor to the skin and eyes may indicate jaundice, a classic indication of liver trouble.

Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis in all likelihood, will get worse if you drink a lot of alcohol in a short period of time, or indulge in binge drinking.

People who have such symptoms and signs should visit their doctor immediately because hepatitis brought on by alcohol use may lead to a series of harmful medical conditions, including gastrointestinal bleeding.

To learn more about alcoholic hepatitis causes and what is hepatitis, click on alcohol induced hepatitis and hepatitis liver disease