{"id":11238,"date":"2025-02-25T23:15:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T20:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ams.uokerbala.edu.iq\/wp\/en\/?p=11238"},"modified":"2025-02-25T23:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T20:15:15","slug":"complications-alcohol-related-liver-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ams.uokerbala.edu.iq\/wp\/en\/blog\/2025\/02\/25\/complications-alcohol-related-liver-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Complications-Alcohol-related liver disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Symptoms<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Causes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Diagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Treatment<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Complications<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    A number of serious complications can develop if you have alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Portal hypertension and varices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Portal hypertension is a common complication of cirrhosis<\/a> and, less commonly, alcoholic hepatitis<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It occurs when the blood pressure inside your liver has risen to a potentially serious level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When the liver becomes severely scarred, it’s harder for blood to move through it. This leads to an increase in the pressure of blood around the intestines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The blood must also find a new way to return to your heart. It does this by using smaller blood vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But these vessels are not designed to carry the weight of blood, so they can become stretched out and weakened. These weakened blood vessels are known as varices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If the blood pressure rises to a certain level, it can become too high for the varices to cope with, causing the walls of the varices to split and bleed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This can cause long-term bleeding, which can lead to anaemia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alternatively, the bleeding can be rapid and massive, causing you to vomit blood and pass stools that are very dark or tar-like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Split varices can be treated by using an endoscope<\/a> to locate the varices. A tiny band can then be used to seal the base of the varices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ascites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A person with portal hypertension may also develop a build-up of fluid in their abdomen (tummy) and around the intestines. This fluid is known as ascites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Initially, this can be treated with water tablets (diuretics). If the problem progresses, many litres of fluid can build up, which needs to be drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is a procedure known as paracentesis and involves a long, thin tube being placed into the fluid through the skin under local anaesthetic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the problems associated with the development of ascites is the risk of infection in the fluid (spontaneous bacterial peritonitis<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is a potentially very serious complication and is linked to an increased risk of kidney failure and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hepatic encephalopathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most important functions of the liver is to remove toxins from your blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If the liver is unable to do this due to hepatitis or cirrhosis, the levels of toxins in the blood increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A high level of toxins in the blood due to liver damage is known as hepatic encephalopathy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n