Explore alcoholic cirrhosis, the final stage of alcohol-induced liver disease

The liver is an organ that functions to filter toxins circulating in the blood, break down protein, regulate sugar metabolism, help fight infections, and produce bile to help the body absorb fat. When a person drinks alcohol for a long time, the body begins to replace healthy liver tissue with scar tissue. This condition is known as alcoholic cirrhosis.

Get to know alcoholic cirrhosis

Alcoholic cirrhosis is the most severe liver disease, which is associated with drinking alcohol. According to American Liver Foundation , between 10-20 percent of heavy alcohol drinkers will have a chance of developing cirrhosis of the liver.

Alcoholic cirrhosis is actually the final stage of liver disease that results from drinking alcohol. Initially, the disease that will suffer from people who are addicted to alcohol is fatty liver (alcoholic fatty liver), then if the habit persists and is not treated accordingly, the condition develops into alcoholic hepatitis, and then alcoholic cirrhosis.

However, a person can also have cirrhosis of the liver without ever developing alcoholic hepatitis. In cirrhosis, the liver cells have been damaged and cannot regenerate again, resulting in the liver unable to function normally anymore.

Stopping alcohol consumption will not restore the function of damaged liver cells, but only function so that the damage does not spread. In addition, by stopping drinking alcohol immediately, it can increase the life expectancy of someone with this condition.

A person who has alcoholic cirrhosis and does not stop drinking is less than 50 percent likely to live for at least five more years.

What are the signs or symptoms of alcoholic liver cirrhosis?

Sometimes there are no obvious symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver. However, symptoms usually develop when a person is between 30-40 years of age. Your body will be able to compensate for the limited liver function in the early stages of the disease. As the disease progresses, symptoms will begin to appear.

Alcoholic cirrhosis can occur without a previous history of fatty liver or alcoholic hepatitis. Alternatively, alcoholic cirrhosis can be diagnosed at the same time as acute alcoholic hepatitis.

The symptoms of alcoholic cirrhosis are similar to those of other alcohol-related liver disease. Symptoms include:

Jaundice (jaundice).
Itchy skin (pruritus).
Portal hypertension, an increase in blood pressure in the blood vessels that travel through the liver.
Thrombocytopenia (decreased platelet count), hypoalbuminemia (decreased albumin in the blood), coagulopathy (blood clotting disorders)

Causes and risk factors for alcoholic cirrhosis

Damage from repeated and excessive alcohol abuse can lead to alcoholic cirrhosis. When the liver tissue starts to break down, the liver doesn't function as well as before. As a result, the body can't produce enough protein or filter toxins from the blood as it should.

Cirrhosis of the liver can occur due to various causes. However, alcoholic cirrhosis is directly related to alcohol drinking.

People who drink alcohol excessively and continuously have a higher risk of alcoholic liver disease. Usually a person has been drinking a lot of alcohol for at least eight years.

In addition, women are also at an increased risk for alcoholic liver disease. Women don't have many enzymes in the stomach to break down alcohol particles. Therefore, more and more alcohol is able to reach the liver and create scar tissue.

Alcoholic liver disease can also have several genetic factors. For example, some people are born with a deficiency in the enzyme that helps digest alcohol. Obesity, a high-fat diet, and having hepatitis C can also increase the likelihood that a person will have alcoholic liver disease.

How to treat alcoholic liver cirrhosis?

Unfortunately, the liver that has been affected by alcoholic cirrhosis cannot be treated and returns to its original state. However, this condition still requires treatment to prevent the disease from getting worse and suppress the symptoms from appearing.

The first step in treatment is to help the person stop drinking. People who have alcoholic liver cirrhosis are so dependent on alcohol that they can experience serious health complications if they try to quit without being in the hospital.

Other treatments your doctor may use include:

Drugs. Medicines your doctor may prescribe include corticosteroids, calcium channel blocker , insulin, antioxidant supplements, and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe).
Changing lifestyle and diet.
Extra protein. Patients often need extra protein in certain forms to help reduce the chances of developing brain disease (encephalopathy).
Liver transplant. You will only be considered for a liver transplant if you have developed complications of cirrhosis, even after you have stopped drinking. All liver transplant units require a person not to drink alcohol while waiting for a transplant, and for the rest of their life.