If your enlarged liver is the result of an acute condition, treating the condition will allow your liver to heal. If it's the result of chronic liver disease, it can potentially be reversed and in some cases cured with lifestyle changes. For example: If you have alcohol use disorder, get help to quit drinking alcohol.
Healing can begin as early as a few days to weeks after you stop drinking, but if the damage is severe, healing can take several months. In some cases, “if the damage to the liver has been long-term, it may not be reversible,” warns Dr. Stein.
An inflamed liver is one of the side effects of cirrhosis. The scar tissue makes it difficult for the liver to function normally. This illness can be life-threatening when it reaches an advanced stage.
When the liver becomes inflamed, it causes pain and other symptoms throughout the body. The major causes of liver inflammation are hepatitis, alcohol abuse, poor nutrition, obesity, and diabetes.
Pain in your liver itself can feel like a dull throbbing pain or a stabbing sensation in your right upper abdomen just under your ribs. General abdominal pain and discomfort can also be related to swelling from fluid retention and enlargement of your spleen and liver caused by cirrhosis.
In some severe cases, you might notice a feeling of bloating or fullness in your belly, or an ache in your upper right abdomen, where your liver is. It's more likely your healthcare provider will discover it during an exam. They might notice that your liver is palpable to the touch, which it normally wouldn't be.
Blood tests used to assess the liver are known as liver function tests. But liver function tests can be normal at many stages of liver disease. Blood tests can also detect if you have low levels of certain substances, such as a protein called serum albumin, which is made by the liver.
As the liver becomes more severely damaged, more obvious and serious symptoms can develop, such as: yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice) swelling in the legs, ankles and feet, due to a build-up of fluid (oedema) swelling in your abdomen, due to a build-up of fluid known as ascites.
Severe drinking may require three months to a year to fully regenerate the liver to its original capacity and functionality. Over time, the liver can heal itself from damages caused by alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. Unfortunately, when it comes to the scars of cirrhosis, these damages are irreversible.
"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.
Long-term intake of more than 30 g of absolute alcohol per day increases the risk of alcoholic liver disease; liver disease is nearly certain in long-term consumption in excess of 80 g of absolute alcohol per day.
So what does liver pain feel like? It manifests in different ways, but a common form is a dull throbbing. For some people, it occurs as a sharp, stabbing pain. Sometimes the pain migrates to other nearby areas, such as the right shoulder blade and the back.
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.
Alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis are linked to the long-term alcohol abuse seen in alcoholics. Healthcare providers don't know why some people who drink alcohol get liver disease while others do not. Research suggests there may be a genetic link, but this is not yet clear.
The short answer is yes: blood testing can show heavy alcohol use. However, timing plays a significant role in the accuracy of blood alcohol testing. In a typical situation, blood alcohol tests are only accurate six to 12 hours after someone consumes their last beverage.
Drinking a bottle of wine a day can also eventually cause liver damage. How quickly? That depends on your overall health. According to one article severe alcoholic liver disease is often linked to drinking 20-40 grams of ethanol a day for women, or 40 to 80 grams for men, over 10 to 12 years.
According to a new study published in Oxford's Alcohol and Alcoholism journal, scientists discovered that hoppy beer is significantly less harmful to the liver than liquor and even beer without hops.
Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that lasts one to two weeks.It is believed to lead to alcoholic cirrhosis over a period of years. Symptoms include of alcoholic hepatitis include: Loss of appetite.
Can it repair itself? The liver can repair itself over time from alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. However, the liver will not be able to heal itself from the scars of cirrhosis. The length of time needed for the liver to recover depends on many factors, but primarily on alcohol usage.
So, now on to the all-important question, which alcohol is easiest on the liver? The quick answer is, none of them. The reason is that the main liver-damaging ingredient in all types of alcohol is ethanol. It doesn't matter which alcohol you chose, be it weak beer or grain alcohol.
Liver Health
A 2015 study on nearly 56,000 participants found that wine consumption was linked to a lower risk of cirrhosis than consumption of beer or spirits.