Drinking alcohol in small amounts has many health benefits including preventing Alzheimer’s disease and kidney stones. However, like with anything else, too much of it can be damaging in more ways than one. One disease heavy drinkers are at risk of developing is alcoholic hepatitis.
Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by heavy alcohol consumption over an extended period of time. The liver is the main source of alcohol breakdown in the body causing it to experience the most damage from heavy alcohol consumption. This can cause the liver to become inflamed, scarred, and fatty. This condition is triggered by binge drinking and continued alcohol use and can result in health problems such as cirrhosis, excessive bleeding and liver failure. About 35 percent of long-time heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis.
ALERT: These Everyday Habits Could Leave You With A Hep C Diagnosis
The link between Alcoholic Hepatitis and Hepatitis C
Although these are two separate conditions and you can’t get hepatitis C (HCV) from drinking alcohol, there is a link between them. These two conditions can coexist. HCV is more prevalent in people who have alcohol abuse disorder. This means excessive alcohol consumption can raise your risk of developing HCV. If you have HCV, drinking even a small amount of alcohol can worsen your condition and interfere with your treatment. Research from the 1990s found that people with alcohol abuse disorder had higher rates of HCV than the control group. This is the case for individuals that had no other risk factors as well. Drinking alcohol can also interfere with your HCV treatment and cause the virus to become resistant to medication.
Scientists are not sure why HCV is more common in alcohol drinkers, but they speculate that alcohol may make it easier for the virus to enter and remain inside the body.
A person with HCV will have an acute or short-term illness. Fifteen to 45 percent of HCV patients may recover on their own within six months while others can develop a chronic infection. Drinking alcohol can play a part in this because alcohol can suppress parts of the immune system allowing HCV to persist beyond the acute stage.
Another way alcohol can be damaging to someone with hepatitis C is through the elevated risk of developing liver scarring or cirrhosis. A normal HCV patient has a 20 percent risk of developing severe scarring or cirrhosis. However, a heavy drinker has 16 times the risk of someone with the virus who doesn’t drink. Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure or cancer.
READ: The Road to Eliminate Hep C: What You Can Do
Symptoms
While both conditions cause liver inflammation, there are some differences in the symptoms.
People who have hepatitis C may experience the following:
- fever
- fatigue
- low appetite
- abdominal pain
- joint pain
- nausea
- vomiting
- dark-colored urine
- grey feces
- jaundice, which causes yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
The World Health Organization (WHO), reports that about 80 percent of HCV patients show no symptoms and may not realize they have it until the virus becomes chronic or causes liver damage.
People who have alcoholic hepatitis may experience the following:
- jaundice
- malaise, or a general feeling of not being well
- low appetite
- tenderness in the liver
- systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which involves fever, fast heart rate, and fast breathing
Diagnosis
HCV can be diagnosed through a series of blood tests. The first test will detect HCV antibodies in the blood. Antibodies will be present if someone previously had HCV. If the test comes back positive, doctors will administer a second test to see if the virus has caused a chronic infection.
There are no tests for alcoholic hepatitis. Instead doctors base a diagnosis off of the following:
- a history of excessive alcohol consumption
- symptoms of liver disease
- CT or MRI scans, which help rule out other causes of liver disease and help identify cirrhosis
- enzyme liver function tests
- biopsy to assess the severity of fat and fibrosis in the liver
Treatment
Antiviral drugs can treat most cases of HCV. As mentioned before, it is also a good idea to quit drinking because alcohol can interfere with some antivirals.
Additionally, abstinence from alcohol is the most effective way to reduce liver damage. If this is done early in the disease, your effects may
even be reversed. Unfourtanely for those that develop cirrhosis, the condition is permanent.
If you have an addiction, you may need to stay in the hospital and enter a support program to address your addiction.
Because alcohol can cause malnutrition, someone with alcoholic hepatitis may benefit from a high protein diet that can reverse some of the effects of alcoholic hepatitis. This includes the following:
- meat, fish, and seafood
- nuts and beans
- milk, cheese, eggs, and yogurt
- whole grains, such as oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-grain bread
You can speak with a dietician about finding the right balanced diet that meets your nutritional needs.
A person with alcoholic hepatitis can also opt to take drugs that lower inflammation such as steroids. While steroids can reduce scarring, they can have serious side effects. Your doctor may be able to prescribe you pentoxifylline (Trental) if you can’t tolerate steroids.
READ: Why Hepatitis C Testing is Important
When to see a doctor
HCV is contagious so if you are unsure if you contracted the virus, you should contact your doctor immediately. You should also take precautions to protect others from coming in contact with your blood.
Speaking with your doctor as soon as possible if you are exhibiting any symptoms can prevent permanent liver damage and complications.