What Are the Signs of Liver Damage from Alcohol?

The liver is an important organ of our body, which does various important jobs; it detoxifies our body, processes nutrients, and produces bile.

However, excessive alcohol consumption can severely damage the liver, leading to a range of conditions known as Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD).

The most important factor to avoid permanent damage of the liver is early identification and intervention.

How Does Alcohol Damage the Liver?

Your liver takes the main role of breaking down and removing alcohol in your body when you have consumed alcohol. During such a process, some by-products are created, and such products may be poisonous to the liver cells.

Repeated use of large quantities of alcohol may destroy these cells and result in swelling, fat building up and consequent scarring.

The Early Symptoms of Liver Damage

Early manifestations of liver damage caused by alcohol tend to be rather mild and can be overlooked without much trouble. However, it’s important to pay attention to these indicators:

• Weakness and Fatigue: Thoughts of feeling, constant tiredness, and lack of energy even though one has slept well.

• Abdominal Pain or Discomfort: Achy or pain in the upper right side of the stomach, where the liver appears.

• Nausea and Vomiting: Continuous feelings of unwell or vomiting that is not easy to explain.

• Loss of Appetite: A loss of appetite with the possibility of unintentionally losing weight.

• Itchy Skin: Incessant irritation of the skin that does not come with the appearance of a rash.

Signs of Severe Liver Damage

When the damage done to the liver advances, the symptoms intensify and worsen:

• Jaundice: A yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, caused by the liver’s inability to properly process bilirubin (a yellow pigment).

• Abdominal Swelling (Ascites): Accumulation of fluid in the abdomen due to the liver’s inability to regulate fluids properly, making the belly appear swollen and hard.

• Swelling in Legs and Ankles (Edema): Fluid is retained lower limbs, causing swelling.

• Pale Stool and Dark Urine: Darker urine containing more bilirubin than normal, and pale stools because of lower production of the bile by the liver.

• Easy Bruising or Bleeding: The liver’s inability to produce sufficient blood-clotting factors can lead to easy bruising or bleeding from the gums or nose.

• Mental Confusion and Memory Loss (Hepatic Encephalopathy): Accumulation of toxins in the brain due to the liver’s inability to remove them, leading to confusion, disorientation, and memory problems.

• Dizziness and Fainting: Blood pressure and other body functions may be affected by liver damage, especially in serious cases.

Conclusion

Too much alcohol drinking could be very disastrous to your liver. If you regularly consume alcohol and experience any of the signs or symptoms listed above, it’s crucial to consult a doctor immediately.

Stopping the drinking of alcohol at early stages as well as reducing damage to the liver is possible and, in most cases, reversing the situation and enabling the liver to work better. To keep lthe iver healthy, avoid or moderate drinking.

Dr. Kailash Mishra
Director & Gastroenterologist Consultant
Prime Gastro Liver Clinic