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.
Maddrey
W C
WC
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA.
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