International Journal of Advances In Case Reports

EXPLORING ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE FROM BIOCHEMICAL DETECTION TO TREATMENT AND ITS COMPLICATIONS – A REVIEW

Rajamanickam Vinodhini*

sivaniswetha@yahoo.com

Alcoholic liver disease; Alcohol dehydrogenase; Aldehyde dehydrogenase; Treatment.

Background: Alcohol consumption is the most common cause of developing alcoholic liver disease (ALD) all over the world. Chronic alcohol consumption has been known to induce a decrease in gut wall integrity in actively drinking alcoholics and patients with alcohol-induced liver disease. It is strongly correlated with the progression of three types of liver conditions as fatty liver, hepatitis and liver 'scarring' (cirrhosis). Fatty liver is a build-up of fat within liver cells in most people who regularly drink heavily. It is reversible if they stop the consumption of alcohol. However, in some people the fatty liver progresses and develops into hepatitis. Alcoholic hepatitis is the inflammation occurs in the liver. Methods: This is a systematic review about diagnosis, pathophysiology, detection of biochemical markers and various treatment methods for alcoholic liver disease. The search of databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Science direct, Alcohol and Alcoholism journals, Taylor and Francis data bases, Scopus, Google scholar, Web of Science. Results: The severe form of alcoholic hepatitis can quickly lead to cirrhosis. The main treatment for alcoholic hepatitis is to provide adequate nutrition in addition to steroids. Cirrhosis is a condition where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue (fibrosis). The scarring tends to be a gradual process. The scar tissue affects the normal structure and regrowth of liver cells. So, the liver gradually loses its ability to function well. The interactions between acetaldehyde, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, inflammatory mediators and genetic factors appear to play prominent roles in the development of ALD. The cornerstone of therapy for ALD is stopping the consumption to improve the survival of patients with all stages of ALD. Conclusion: Alcoholic liver disease comprises a wide spectrum of pathology ranging from mild fatty infiltration to advanced cirrhosis. No doubt as all these parameters in combinations may be useful indicator for identification and determination of severity of alcoholic liver diseases. During the past 3 decades, several pharmacologic interventions have been investigated in the treatment of ALD. To date, none are clearly effective with minimum side effects. Most of the final stage of recovery from ALD supports liver transplantation. There should be a need to pay attention in the development of new bio drugs with strong scientific validation approved by different clinical trials, nontoxic, cost effective, cheap, biocompatible and biodegradable to reduce the rate of mortality of individuals suffering from ALD.