Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is often first suspected when tests for other medical conditions show a damaged liver. This is because the condition causes few obvious symptoms in the early stages. If a doctor suspects ARLD, they'll usually arrange a blood test to check how well your liver is working.
Other tests used to diagnose alcohol-induced liver disease may include: Blood tests. Including liver function tests, which show whether the liver is working the way it should. Liver biopsy.
Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase test.
This test is often performed to assess liver function, to provide information about liver diseases, and to detect alcohol ingestion.
Liver enzymes may be elevated, but tests of liver function are often normal. Many heavy drinkers have fatty liver disease. Alcoholic fatty liver disease may be reversible with abstinence from alcohol.
NAFLD is often diagnosed after a blood test called a liver function test produces an abnormal result and other liver conditions, such as hepatitis, are ruled out. But blood tests do not always pick up NAFLD. The condition may also be spotted during an ultrasound scan of your tummy.
Imaging procedures used to diagnose NAFLD include: Abdominal ultrasound, which is often the initial test when liver disease is suspected. Computerized tomography (CT) scanning or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen.
About 20 percent of alcoholics and heavy drinkers develop fatty liver, or steatosis. In many cases there are no clinical symptoms except for an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly).
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.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease
Fatty liver disease rarely causes any symptoms, but it's an important warning sign that you're drinking at a harmful level. Fatty liver disease is reversible. If you stop drinking alcohol for some time (months or years), your liver should return to normal.
In typical viral or toxic liver injury, the serum ALT level rises more than the AST value, reflecting the relative amounts of these enzymes in hepatocytes. However, in alcoholic hepatitis, the ratio of AST to ALT is greater than 1 in 90 percent of patients and is usually greater than 2.
GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH TO ALD
Furthermore, patients may be completely asymptomatic, have no clinical signs of early ALD or early cirrhosis and may have normal liver enzymes.
Most expert guidelines suggest avoiding drinking alcohol for 30 days to help your liver restore to its normal function.
The first stage of alcoholic liver disease is hepatic steatosis, which involves the accumulation of small fat droplets under liver cells approaching the portal tracts. More advanced disease is characterized by marked steatosis, hepatocellular necrosis, and acute inflammation, known as alcoholic hepatitis.
Alcohol Related Cirrhosis: The most serious form of ALD, it occurs when the entire liver is scarred, causing the liver to shrink and harden. This can lead to liver failure. Usually the damage cannot be reversed. Between 10 to 20 percent of heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis typically after 10 or more years of drinking.
"Hard liquor contains more alcohol than beer or wine, making it more dangerous for your liver," continues Coleman. "A single shot of 80-proof hard liquor contains about 15 grams of alcohol and most shots contain even more alcohol than this." Another alcoholic beverage also takes a considerable toll on your liver.
Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
Avoiding Alcohol
Moderate or heavy alcohol use can cause additional damage and fat accumulation in the liver in people with NAFLD. Therefore, patients with NAFLD should avoid alcohol entirely if possible.
Alcohol-related hepatitis is a potentially serious condition caused by heavy alcohol consumption over a longer period. Between 10–35% of individuals with alcohol-related fatty liver disease who continue drinking heavily will develop alcohol-related hepatitis.
An average period of 6 weeks to 2 months is an expected timeframe to recover from fatty liver disease. However, lifelong adherence to particular diet and lifestyle changes may be necessary to prevent relapse.
In some cases, the liver damage stops or even reverses itself. But in others, the disease continues to progress. If you have NASH, it's important to control any conditions that may contribute to fatty liver disease.
How long it takes to reverse fatty liver disease may depend on the cause. If your fatty liver is because of alcohol, you may be able to reverse the effects in about 2 weeks. If you have NAFLD, it will depend on how quickly you lose weight. But remember, be careful not to lose weight too quickly.