While consuming alcohol in moderate amounts is said to have health benefits, too much can negatively affect mood, judgement, concentration and memory. Recall the proverb, “Too much of anything is good for nothing?” It’s exactly so, and it applies not only to the brain but also to the liver. Excess alcohol intake is often associated with alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD), with many cases being dealt with by liver doctors in Kolkata day in and day out.
Like every disease, ARLD has three primary stages, where cases overlapping between two are common. The symptoms are mostly silent in the early stages, so alcohol abuse continues. The dawn of realisation happens when the individual starts feeling sick, suffers from jaundice, loses weight, vomits blood and experiences swelling around the ankles. Loss of appetite and drowsiness are also quite common. Is it too late? Only a liver specialist in Kolkata can tell.
What Happens to Your Liver When You Drink Alcohol?
Apart from the brain, the liver is also a complex organ. It fights infection, filters toxins from the blood, regulates cholesterol levels and aids digestion. Now, every time your body undergoes alcohol abuse, some liver cells die. Due to the resilience of the organ, it regenerates, but as years pass by, it loses its ability. The outcome is permanent damage to the liver.
The Three Stages of ARLD – Insights from a Liver Specialist in Kolkata
An alcoholic person can be in any of the three stages of ARLD:
1. Alcoholic fatty liver disease
It’s the first stage of ARLD, where fats build up in the liver from alcohol consumption. There are no symptoms as such, but it’s a wake-up call for individuals abusing their bodies by consuming alcohol. In simple words, you are drinking at a harmful level, and this needs to stop. It’s still not late enough to reverse the condition. Quitting the substance for two weeks at a stretch will cause the organ to return to normalcy.
2. Alcoholic hepatitis
Some of the best liver hospitals in Kolkata, including LivGastro, have treated patients with alcoholic hepatitis. When this condition develops, the person realises the damage caused to the liver through binge drinking. As long as it’s mild, it’s reversible by permanently quitting the habit. Severity is often life-threatening, with many people surrendering to the condition every year. Others diagnose ARLD during this stage.
3. Cirrhosis
It’s the last and most critical stage of ARLD. You may check out this blog to know more.
When a patient reaches it, his liver has already been scarred. Yet, there is no visible sign in many. While it’s not reversible, quitting alcohol consumption prevents the organ from encountering further damage. Consequently, life expectancy improves. Others, resisting the urge even at this stage, have less than a 50% chance of surviving for over five years.
Book an Appointment with a Hepatologist at the Best Liver Hospital in Kolkata!
Take an ARLD diagnosis today at LivGastro and reverse the damage or prevent it from worsening. At LivGastro, a liver specialist may advise a special diet or a change in lifestyle to lower toxic fat deposits in the organ. Your doctor may even prescribe anti-inflammatory medications, depending on the severity of the disease. In severe cases when the liver stops functioning, typically when cirrhosis develops, your hepatologist may also advise on a liver transplant.
