Alcohol related liver disease can be caused by regularly drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol related liver disease, or ARLD often does not have symptoms until a lot of damage has happened to the liver. This is why liver health checks are important for people who regularly drink high amounts of alcohol.
The liver has an amazing ability to regenerate, however this is impacted when someone regularly drinks alcohol and can ultimately result in severe and permanent damage to the liver.
There are 3 often overlapping stages of ARLD:
The best way to treat ARLD is to stop drinking, which may prevent further damage from happening and help the liver to recover. In some cases a liver transplant may be needed. People who are dependent on alcohol should not stop drinking suddenly because of the risk of alcohol related withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, and should seek support from their GP or local community drug and alcohol service to reduce safely and seek additional support.
This self-help guide for alcohol from Inclusion (part of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust) can be given to people to support them with their alcohol use: Alcohol and You :: Inclusion Midlands Partnership
ARLD can cause some severe and life threatening complications such as:
Primary care professionals have an important role in supporting people with harmful drinking or dependent drinking through identifying liver damage early before irreversible or severe damage is caused. Professionals can refer to local specialist services (community drug and alcohol treatment services) for brief intervention work and psychosocial support. It is also important to recognise that alcohol can also be associated with a variety of other health problems and therefore other interventions such as blood pressure checks and weight/nutrition management support should also be given.