Beware of alcoholic liver cirrhosis if you are addicted to alcohol

Mr. Li, 48 years old this year, is a marketing manager of a foreign trade company. He often talks about business while drinking and is known as "never drunk". Five years ago, Mr. Li was diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease during a physical examination at the hospital. The doctor advised him to abstain from alcohol, maintain a light diet and exercise regularly, but he did not take it seriously. Recently, he felt pain in the liver area, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. After seeing a doctor, he was found to have cirrhosis and fatty degeneration of liver cells. The doctor warned that if he continued to delay and slack off, the next step might be liver cancer.

So, how can people who are used to drinking and chatting evaluate whether they are threatened by alcoholic liver disease? What symptoms should be a cause of alarm?

40 grams of alcohol per day

Fatty liver can develop in 5 years

Song Jitao, chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, pointed out that excessive drinking or long-term alcoholism is likely to lead to a series of diseases such as gastritis, alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, coronary heart disease, cerebral hemorrhage, and dementia.

Song Jitao introduced that alcohol abuse has become one of the top three public health problems in the world, second only to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignant tumors. It causes 2.5 million deaths each year, accounting for 4% of the total global deaths. my country also has a large population of drinkers, and the per capita alcohol consumption is gradually increasing, which has brought serious consequences. According to statistics, 6% of men and 1% of women in my country die from alcohol-related liver diseases such as simple fatty degeneration, alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic liver fibrosis, alcoholic cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.

Song Jitao reminded that the bad habit of drinking too much every day should not be underestimated in terms of the damage to the liver. When drinking exceeds a certain amount, various metabolites including acetaldehyde will continue to accumulate in the body, interfering with the normal metabolism of liver cells, causing damage to liver cells, and then inducing fatty degeneration and necrosis of liver cells. In the process of accumulation over time, the patient initially showed alcoholic fatty liver, and then gradually transitioned to alcoholic hepatitis. Over time, alcohol-induced liver cell inflammation continues to recur, the liver tissue will gradually become fibrotic, and eventually transition to alcoholic cirrhosis.

Data shows that if you drink 40 grams of alcohol per day for five years, you may develop fatty liver; if you drink 160 grams of alcohol per day for about 20 years, it may develop into alcoholic cirrhosis.

Be on high alert for indigestion

Symptoms such as yellow urine and yellow sclera

"Generally speaking, patients with alcoholic liver disease will first experience varying degrees of abdominal distension, anorexia, nausea and other symptoms, but most patients will mistakenly believe that they are gastrointestinal problems and rarely think that it is alcohol-induced liver damage. Therefore, if the above-mentioned 'indigestion' symptoms persist for too long, you need to be highly vigilant and go to the hospital in time for treatment." Song Jitao said.

For people who drink alcohol for a long time, the color of urine will gradually turn yellow due to alcohol damage to the liver. Especially when the color of urine turns darker and thicker, showing the color of strong tea or coffee, it is necessary to consider whether it is caused by abnormal liver function.

Alcohol can also change the color of the sclera of the eyes. For people who drink alcohol for a long time, after the liver is damaged, bilirubin will gradually seep into the human blood, dyeing the sclera of the eyes yellow. If the eyes are obviously yellow, it indicates that the liver is being eroded by alcohol.

In addition, some patients with alcoholic liver disease will not only have yellow eyes, but also gradually turn their skin yellow. In addition to the above symptoms, the palms of the patient will also show red patches or spots due to congestion, and the palms will turn white after pressing these parts. If the above conditions persist for a long time, liver function tests need to be done in time.

Liver function should be checked regularly

Do liver ultrasound

Clinically, once diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease, one must quit drinking, change the bad habit of alcoholism, and receive regular and continuous treatment. Song Jitao emphasized that the direct cause of alcoholic liver disease is the patient's long-term and excessive intake of alcohol. Therefore, the first thing to do is to control the "entrance gate" from the source and quit drinking.

Secondly, it is necessary to develop a good habit of regular diet and healthy work and rest. Song Jitao suggested that for patients who have developed fatty liver or alcoholic cirrhosis, three meals a day should be light and less oily, eat more high-vitamin, high-protein foods, eat more whole grains, insist on consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, and regularly supplement nutrients such as magnesium and zinc; eat less barbecue, spicy hot pot, braised pork, pot-wrapped pork, candied sweet potatoes and other sweet, high-salt and high-calorie foods, and eat less hot pot. If you eat too much raw and cold food, or the calorie level is too high, the liver will bear too much burden.

In addition, you should quit smoking, avoid staying up late and overwork, and try to ensure a scientific and reasonable sleep time.

Again, for people who like to drink, it is recommended to check liver function and do liver ultrasound regularly to fully improve their awareness of liver health.

Song Jitao reminded that no matter whether it is strong or low-alcohol liquor, no matter whether it is beer, red wine, rice wine or foreign liquor, all alcoholic beverages contain varying degrees of alcohol, so you should not drink it on an empty stomach. It is recommended to drink after eating or to drink in moderation intermittently.

Source: Popular Science Times

Author: Yi Xiaofeng, Ma Zeshu, Li Liyun