Alcohol-induced liver disease.
Hepatic changes resulting from the regular ingestion of alcohol are many and include fat infiltration, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Only 10% to 15% of chronic alcoholics develop liver disease. Women are more susceptible. An area of considerable importance is the high prevalence of concomitant infection with hepatitis C virus in chronic alcoholics. Patients who have hepatitis C and alcohol-induced liver injury are much more likely to develop progressive liver disease and cirrhosis. Corticosteroid therapy has proven useful in the treatment of patients with severe acute alcoholic hepatitis.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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Maddrey
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis