Liver Disease

In 2008 there were 4,764 deaths in England and Wales due to alcoholic liver disease. Three-quarters were men. Although women are more likely to develop alcoholic liver disease, men are more likely to die from it, perhaps because they drink more.

Alcoholic liver disease is a group of illnesses which develop when the liver becomes damaged due to heavy drinking including fatty liver, hepatitis and cirrhosis - which can be fatal.

It's a fatal mistake to think that binge drinkers are most at risk from liver disease. People most at risk are those who drink over the limit on a regular basis over the years. Daily wine drinkers take note.

Because the liver has relatively few nerves, the lack of pain means that liver disease is not usually diagnosed until the later stages of the disease.

Warning signs

Alcoholic liver disease does not usually cause any symptoms until the liver has been seriously damaged. When this happens, alcoholic liver disease can cause:

• Nausea
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Eyes and skin turning yellow (a sign of jaundice)

Death rates linked to alcoholic liver disease have risen by over two-thirds (69%) in the last 30 years. This makes alcohol one of the most common causes of death, along with smoking and high blood pressure.

Prevention

The best way to prevent alcohol related liver disease is not to drink alcohol, or to stick to the recommended daily limits. For men this means drinking no more than three to four units a day.

One unit of alcohol is equal to about half a pint of normal strength lager, a small glass of wine or a pub measure (25ml) of spirits.

More information

Alcohol: how much is too much?

This article was published on Fri 12 February 2010