Alcoholic hepatitis is a type of hepatitis caused by prolonged and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages that eventually causes liver disorders and causes symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite, for example.
Acute alcoholic hepatitis is curable, in most cases, as long as the person stops drinking alcohol and is treated with medications prescribed by the hepatologist or family doctor, to avoid serious complications, such as cirrhosis or liver failure.
The main signs and symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis may include
Generally, people who show signs and symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis and do not initiate proper treatment have a survival rate of 6 months after the onset of the first symptoms. Therefore, it is very important to consult the hepatologist as soon as possible whenever symptoms of liver problems appear.
Diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis is made by a hepatologist or family doctor through laboratory tests, such as enzyme measurements that evaluate liver function and the entire blood formula. In addition, your doctor may recommend imaging tests, such as an abdominal ultrasound, to check for changes in your liver and spleen.
In addition to scans, the doctor should take into account the patient’s history at diagnosis and it is important to know if the person has consumed alcoholic beverages, frequency and quantity.
Treatment of alcoholic hepatitis should be guided by a hepatologist or gastroenterologist and may vary depending on the severity of the disease. One of the main indications in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis is alcohol withdrawal, as it reduces inflammation of the liver, relieves symptoms and prevents disease progression.
However, the main ways to treat alcoholic hepatitis include
Stopping alcohol, giving up alcoholism, is the main step in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis. In many cases, there is a significant improvement in inflammation and fat accumulation in the liver, which can sometimes be enough to cure hepatitis.
However, in other cases, inflammation can only improve, with the persistence of liver disease, requiring the combination of other treatments by the doctor. Even in these cases, cessation of alcohol consumption is critical for the disease to progress more slowly and increase life expectancy.
Learn more about major alcohol-incurry
Malnutrition, lacking calories, proteins and vitamins, is common in people with alcoholic hepatitis.
Thus, it is very important the advice of the nutritionist, which may indicate a necessary high calorie diet, which should be about 2000 kcal daily, the intake of amino acids and proteins and supplementation with vitamins and minerals such as thiamine, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, pyridoxine and zinc, for example.
See some recommendations in the video below
Your doctor may indicate some specific medications for the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis, such as corticosteroids, which have an anti-inflammatory action, protecting liver cells from the toxic action of alcohol.
Other medicines activated by the immune system, such as anti-TNF, or circulatory medications, such as pentoxyphylline, may be indicated. In addition, drugs such as ursodeoxycholic acid, S-adenosyl-L-methionine and phosphatidylcholine appear to have hepatoprotective effects.
Other therapies have been tested or can be reserved for specific cases of alcoholic hepatitis, and should always be indicated by a gastroenterologist or hepatologist.
Candidates for liver transplantation may be patients with advanced liver disease, who do not improve with clinical treatment or progress to liver failure and cirrhosis.
To get into the transplant line it is essential to abandon alcohol consumption and habits such as smoking. Find out how recovery is going after a liver transplant and the necessary care.