Alcoholic Hepatitis

Question: What is the difference between Hepatitis C and alcoholic hepatitis? How is it determined which one a person may have?

Answer: Hepatitis is a fancy way of saying inflammation of the liver. There are many different reasons that can cause hepatitis. Virus, massive blood infections, medications, alcohol, auto-immune disorders are some general causes of hepatitis. Hepatitis C virus and alcohol both can cause inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C can be easily tested by blood work and if you have abnormal liver function test and Hepatitis C, it could be causing the hepatitis. If you test negative for Hepatitis C and you drink alot of alcohol, then the alcohol may be causing it. Now if you drink heavily/frequently and also have Hepatitis C it may be hard to figure which one is doing more damage. In the last case senerio, the important thing to rememeber is that both the alcohol and hepatitis C could be causing liver inflammation and ultimately you could develop liver cirrhosis (liver is so damaged and scarred from chronic inflammation) faster than if you have only had one causative factor. Unlike what people above said, alcohol does cause hepatitis and it is common. Chronic hepatitis can ultimately lead to liver cirrhosis.

Question: What are ways to treat alcoholic hepatitis of liver disease? If you say medicine...could you please explain the name and how it works specifically towards the liver Thank you so much...

Answer: I know one thing we give alcoholics in the hospital is vitamins. Especially Niacin. The body of an alcoholic starts to lack the ability to digest vitamins, and alcoholics also don;t get adequate nutrition. So one important vitamin is Niacin that is important for brain and tissue health and is given as a supplement to suspected alcoholics.

Question: What are the names of alcoholic hepatitis medicine? please include if they are over the counter or prescription...

Answer: if you have this condition the first step would be to stop the alcohol, ASAP that alone will help a ton. Next, eat as healthy as possible, the usual, fruits and veggies, complex carbs and lean protein source. Drink plenty of fluids like water, fruit juices, skim milk but skip soda's. Take a little medication as possible because your liver metabolizes everything you eat and medicine can be hard on it. There is no over the counter or prescription medicine for this. A diseased liver can heal itself given the chance to, particularly if you don't have Hepatitis C

Question: Treatment for Alcoholic Hepatitis? My brother has alcoholic hepatitis(not cirrhosis) and I was wondering what he can do to help that condition(other than not drinking alcohol which he already has stopped). How much does milk thistle help? Any other vitamins/supplements that have worked? What foods are especially helpful? He drank heavily for a little over 4 years(is currently 30 years old) is about 5'10" and 170 lbs. Other than his liver he has does not have a history of high blood pressure or cholestoral and is generally in decent physical fitness.

Answer: The best treatment for any form of hepatitis is to rest the liver. Cleanse the body by drinking plenty of water. I never heard of milk thistle to help with liver problems. Eat a variety of foods. Take a multi vitamin rich in vitamin B's. Alcholism will rob the body of vitamin b. And although a person could appear to be of healthy weight malnutrition is usually a problem. Try to consume a well balanced diet at least 3 times a day. Hope this helps.

Question: My brother in law has alcoholic hepatitis, do you know someone who has survived with this? His chances aren't good (maybe a 30% chance) but if he survives, he can never ever drink again which will be hard for him because he would normally drink a case of beer a day. Does anyone know of any good vitamins, therapies, etc. that could help? My family is just grasping at straws but I thought I'd ask.

Answer: A lot depends on how much damage has been done, how long he's been doing it, his age, and what kind of physical shape he's in. I was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis in 1981; I had been severely abusing alcohol, 2-3 quarts of hard liquor a day. My eyes and skin had turned yellowish. I quit drinking and my liver repaired itself quickly. I did go back to abusing alcohol for a time, but never to that level, never had a return of those symptoms and I somehow survived, but I wouldn't suggest trying it, I'm just mentioning this to let you know that the liver can regenerate.

Question: Is non-viral alcoholic hepatitis transmittable through semen? If it's non-viral.. and the liver damage is caused by alcohol.. is it transmittable to another person through semen?

Answer: No. Alcoholic hepatitis is NOT contagious. However, is the guy still drinking? If so, you should help him avoid alcohol as he's already having health problems due to alcoholism. He could die from it. Get the guy off the sauce!

Question: what do you think of my alcoholic hepatitis? I think i have cought very light alcoholic hepatitis. I have been drinking for a year everyday about 6 bottles of beer(12oz) one day i felt slight discomfort around my stomach, getting tired easily, sleepy often and still tired after long sleep. well i don't have juandice or itching or dark urines but i think these are the symtoms i have from alcoholic hepatitis. and so i have stopped drinking about 4days now and still seems like i have the hepatitis.and the symtoms exists. i'm trying to heal myself naturally, I 'm eating farely nutritously. i eat meats, rices, vegies, fruits, i don't know would my liver heal eventually ? or should i see a doctor. but i don't really wanna go to doctor becasue i don't have insurance. does it take long time for liver to heal from alcoholic hepatitis?

Answer: I am currently experiencing the same thing you are, except a little worse. I had been drinking steadily over a three month period when I started running into problems. I quickly noticed pruritis (excessive scratching), dark urine and light colored stool. I then develop marked jaundice with my bilirubin reaching as high as 16... I have since been able to control the problem with abstinence and corticosteroids... You were very lucky to have caught it when you did... You most likely have developed a fatty liver (as seen in most drinkers, not all drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis) The liver is a robust organ and it will heal with abstinence, but you have to give it time... most likely 4-6 weeks, fatty liver heals. I would continue with the nutritious diet... and and moderate excercise will be of help as well. If you have any others questions, please feel free to email me- cnbougey431@hotmail.com Good luck...

Question: what is life expectency of someone diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis?

Answer: Hepatitis, alcoholic Definition Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by alcohol. Description Irritation, be it from toxins or infections, causes a similar response in body organs. The response is known as inflammation and consists of: an increase in the blood to the affected organ redness and swelling of the organ influx of immune agents like white blood cells and their arsenal of chemical weapons pain As the acute process subsides, there is either healing or lingering activity. Lingering activity-chronic disease-has a milder presentation with similar ingredients. Healing often takes the form of scarring, wherein normal functioning tissue is replaced by tough, fibrous, and non-productive scar. Both chronic disease and healing can happen simultaneously, so that scar tissue progressively replaces normal tissue. This leads to cirrhosis, a liver so scarred it is unable to do its job adequately. Alcohol can cause either an acute or a chronic disease in the liver. The acute disease can be severe, even fatal, and can bring with it hemolysis--blood cell destruction. Alcohol can also cause a third type of liver disease, fatty liver, in which the continuous action of alcohol turns the liver to useless fat. This condition eventually progresses to cirrhosis if the poisoningcontinues. Causes and symptoms Inflammation of the liver can be caused by a great variety of agents-poisons, drugs, viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and even larger organisms like worms. Alcohol is a poison if taken in more than modest amounts. It favors destroying stomach lining, liver, heart muscle, and brain tissue. The liver is a primary target because alcohol travels to the liver after leaving the intestines. Those who drink enough to get alcohol poisoning have a tendency to be undernourished, since alcohol provides ample calories but little nutrition. It is suspected that both the alcohol and the poor nutrition produce alcoholic hepatitis. Diagnosis Hepatitis of all kinds causes notable discomfort, loss of appetite, nausea, pain in the liver, and usually jaundice (turning yellow). Blood test abnormalities are unmistakably those of hepatitis, but selecting from so many the precise cause may take additional diagnostic work. Treatment As with all poisonings, removal of the offending agent is primary. There is no specific treatment for alcohol poisoning. General supportive measures must see the patient through until the liver has healed by itself. In the case of fulminant (sudden and severe) disease, the liver may be completely destroyed and have to be replaced by a transplant. Prognosis The liver is robust. It can heal without scarring after one or a few episodes of hepatitis that resolve without lingering. It can, moreover, regrow from a fragment of its former self, provided there is not disease or poison still inhibiting it. Prevention Alcohol is lethal in many ways when ingested in excess. Research suggests that the maximum healthy dose of alcohol per day is roughly one pure ounce-the amount in two cocktails, two glasses of wine, or two beers. Key Terms Cirrhosis Disruption of normal liver structure and function caused by any type of chronic disease such as hepatitis and alcohol abuse. Fatty liver An abnormal amount of fat tissue in the liver caused by alcohol abuse. Hemolysis Disintegration of read blood cells. Protozoa One celled microscopic organisms like amoeba. For Your Information Resources Organizations American Liver Foundation. 1425 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009. (800) 223-0179. http://www.liverfoundation.org. Local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Question: What exactly is Alcoholic Hepatitis? Can it be cured?

Answer: Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. People who drink too much alcohol for many years develop symptoms of hepatitis, such as itching, jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), ascites (bloated belly), bleeding in the esophagus or sometimes even mental status changes. The problem is that by the time you have symptoms, you have already done major damage to the liver. Doctors try to lessen the symptoms, but cure is difficult if not impossible.

Question: in alcoholic cirrhosis how and why are mallory bodies produced? I'm having difficulty connecting alcoholic hepatitis and fibrosis leading to cirrhosis to the development of mallory bodies/hyalines. i know their collections of fibres in the liver cells but can't identify how they get produced, is it to do with the impairment of protein movements? also are they cytokeretin or collegen? if anyone can give me any help with this i would much appreciate it! any info on mallory bodies would be great. Thanks kate x

Answer: The precise mechanism of formation is not known (See Hepatology Research, October 2007 issue) but their chemical identity is hyperphosphorylated keratins 8 and 18.