How long until cirrhosis

In general, the amount of alcohol consumed how much, how often, and for how long determines the risk and severity of liver damage. Symptoms range from none at first to fever, jaundice, fatigue, and a tender, painful, and enlarged liver, then to more serious problems such as bleeding in the digestive tract and deterioration of brain function. To help identify whether drinking is a problem, doctors may give the person a questionnaire and ask family members how much the person drinks.

If people who have been drinking in excess have symptoms of liver disease, doctors do blood tests to evaluate the liver and occasionally do a liver biopsy.

The best treatment is to stop drinking alcohol, but doing so is very difficult and requires help, often in rehabilitation programs. About 8. About twice as many men as women abuse alcohol.

See also Alcohol Alcohol Alcohol ethanol is a depressant. Consuming large amounts rapidly or regularly can cause health problems, including organ damage, coma, and death. Genetics and personal characteristics may Most alcohol, after being absorbed in the digestive tract, is processed metabolized in the liver. As alcohol is processed, substances that can damage the liver are produced.

The more alcohol a person drinks, the greater the damage to the liver. When alcohol damages the liver, the liver can continue to function for a while because the liver can sometimes recover from mild damage. However, if people continue to drink alcohol, liver damage progresses and may eventually result in death. If people stop drinking, some damage may be reversed. Such people are likely to live longer.

Abuse of alcohol Alcohol-related disorders Alcohol ethanol is a depressant. Accumulation of fat fatty liver Fatty Liver Fatty liver is an abnormal accumulation of certain fats triglycerides inside liver cells. People with fatty liver may feel tired or have mild abdominal discomfort but otherwise have no symptoms The scar In cirrhosis, a large amount of normal liver tissue is permanently replaced with scar tissue called fibrosis Fibrosis of the Liver Fibrosis is the formation of an abnormally large amount of scar tissue in the liver.

It occurs when the liver attempts to repair and replace damaged cells. Many conditions can damage the liver As a result, the internal structure of the liver is disrupted, and the liver can no longer function normally. Eventually, the liver usually shrinks.

People may have a few symptoms or the same symptoms as those due to alcoholic hepatitis. Cirrhosis cannot be reversed. In cirrhosis, nonfunctioning scar tissue permanently replaces a large amount of normal tissue and distorts the internal structure of the liver. Ascites Ascites Ascites is the accumulation of protein-containing ascitic fluid within the abdomen. Many disorders can cause ascites, but the most common is high blood pressure in the veins that bring blood Hepatic portosystemic encephalopathy Hepatic Encephalopathy Hepatic encephalopathy is deterioration of brain function that occurs in people with severe liver disease because toxic substances normally removed by the liver build up in the blood and reach People may become drowsy and confused.

Portal hypertension Portal Hypertension Portal hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure in the portal vein the large vein that brings blood from the intestine to the liver and its branches.

Cirrhosis scarring that distorts Portal hypertension causes or contributes to ascites, bleeding in the digestive tract, an enlarged spleen splenomegaly , and sometimes portosystemic encephalopathy. Bleeding in the digestive tract Gastrointestinal Bleeding Bleeding may occur anywhere along the digestive gastrointestinal [GI] tract, from the mouth to the anus.

Blood may be easily seen by the naked eye overt , or blood may be present in amounts People may vomit blood or have bloody or dark, tarry stools. Liver failure Liver Failure Liver failure is severe deterioration in liver function. Liver failure is caused by a disorder or substance that damages the liver.

Most people have jaundice yellow skin and eyes , feel tired Liver failure can eventually lead to kidney failure. Bleeding disorder Overview of Blood Clotting Disorders Blood clotting coagulation disorders are dysfunctions in the body's ability to control the formation of blood clots.

These dysfunctions may result in Too little clotting, leading to abnormal Also, alcohol can reduce the number or activity of platelets, which also help blood clot. Portal hypertension leads to an enlarged spleen, which also decreases the number of platelets.

Enlarged spleen Enlarged Spleen An enlarged spleen is not a disease in itself but the result of an underlying disorder. Many disorders can make the spleen enlarge. Many disorders, including infections, anemias, and cancers The enlarged spleen traps and destroys more white blood cells and platelets than it normally does. As a result, the risk of infections and bleeding is increased. People can understand their risk of alcohol-related liver disease more precisely if they know how much alcohol they are drinking.

To determine how much they are drinking, they need to know the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages. Different types of beverages contain different percentages of alcohol. However, in typical servings of these different types of beverages, the amount of alcohol is similar even though the amount of liquid is very different:. In hard liquor, the alcohol concentration is often described as proof. The proof is about twice the percentage of alcohol. For cirrhosis to develop, men usually must drink more than about 3 ounces of alcohol a day for more than 10 years.

Consuming 3 ounces a day involves drinking 6 cans of beer, 5 glasses of wine, or 6 shots of liquor. About half the men who drink more than 8 ounces of alcohol a day for 20 years develop cirrhosis Cirrhosis of the Liver Cirrhosis is the widespread distortion of the liver's internal structure that occurs when a large amount of normal liver tissue is permanently replaced with nonfunctioning scar tissue.

Generally, the more and the longer people drink, the greater their risk of alcohol-related liver disease. However, liver disease does not develop in every person who drinks heavily for a long time.

Thus, other factors are involved. Women are more vulnerable to liver damage by alcohol, even after adjustments are made for smaller body size. Women are at risk of liver damage if they drink about half as much alcohol as men.

Cirrhosis is a complication of many liver diseases characterized by abnormal structure and function of the liver. The diseases that lead to cirrhosis do so because they injure and kill liver cells, after which the inflammation and repair that is associated with the dying liver cells cause scar tissue to form. The liver cells that do not die multiply to replace the cells that have died.

This results in clusters of newly-formed liver cells regenerative nodules within the scar tissue. Stage 1 cirrhosis involves some scarring of the liver, but few symptoms. This stage is considered compensated cirrhosis, where there are no complications. Stage 2 cirrhosis includes worsening portal hypertension and the development of varices. Stage 3 cirrhosis involves the development of swelling in the abdomen and advanced liver scarring.

This stage marks decompensated cirrhosis, with serious complications and possible liver failure. Stage 4 cirrhosis can be life-threatening and people have developed end-stage liver disease ESLD , which is fatal without a transplant. It may take years for cirrhosis to develop. In those situations, normal doses of Tylenol three to four times a day can produce severe liver damage.

The same problem can occur in patients with the other liver diseases such as viral hepatitis. Additionally, more common toxins tend to be those that are inhaled, such as cleaning solvents, aerosolized paints, thinners, etc.

The liver is a unique organ. It is the only organ in the body that is able to regenerate. With most organs, such as the heart, the damaged tissue is replaced with scar, like on the skin. The liver, however, is able to replace damaged tissue with new cells. If up to 50 to 60 percent of the liver cells may be killed within three to four days in an extreme case like a Tylenol overdose, the liver will repair completely after 30 days if no complications arise.

Complications of liver disease occur when regeneration is either incomplete or prevented by progressive development of scar tissue within the liver. This occurs when the damaging agent such as a virus, a drug, alcohol, etc. Once scar tissue has developed it is very difficult to reverse that process.

Severe scarring of the liver is the condition known as cirrhosis. The development of cirrhosis indicates late stage liver disease and is usually followed by the onset of complications. The largest risk factor for liver disease from alcohol is the amount and the length of time the individual has been drinking. Males often develop complications that appear to be on a gender basis as well. Each individual is entirely different.

Complication can develop after 5 to 10 years, though it more commonly it takes 20 to 30 years. Many individuals appear to never develop end stage liver disease from alcohol. This is impossible to predict ahead of time.

Hepatitis is a generic term. It indicates inflammation and damage to liver cells. This damage can be caused by drugs, toxins, alcohol, inherited diseases, certain metabolic diseases, and viruses. Commonly, hepatitis refers to viral hepatitis.