Heavy alcohol use can lead to problems such as liver and kidney failure, alcoholic hepatitis AH, cirrhosis of the liver and even death. Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can lead to jaundice, and is often found with a fatty liver. Over 19,000 people died in 2014 from liver diseases like alcoholic hepatitis-and in severe cases, up to 50 percent of people with AH die within 30 days of being diagnosed. Once diagnosed, quitting alcohol will be essential to recover from liver diseases like alcoholic hepatitis.
Have you ever seen a person with yellow eyes, or yellow skin and wondered why? Heavy alcohol consumption can lead to a variety of different diseases and conditions like cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure, and hepatitis. Hepatitis of any kind can lead to jaundice; which is yellowing of the eyes or skin. Alcoholic hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver (National Institute on Drug Abuse) and can typically be found along with a fatty liver, and cirrhosis.
Alcoholic Hepatitis Definition
The full definition of alcoholic hepatitis, is "a distinct clinical syndrome caused by chronic alcohol abuse and (often) carries a particularly poor prognosis with a 28-day mortality ranging from 30 to 50 percent. Although alcoholic hepatitis is an acute condition, nearly 50 percent of patients with alcoholic hepatitis have established cirrhosis at the time of clinical presentation".
Alcoholic Hepatitis Prognosis
Since alcoholic hepatitis is an acute disease, the signs and symptoms appear suddenly. The short-term prognosis (or course of the disease) isn’t usually very bad, however once the disease has really set in, the outcome can be worse. With alcoholic hepatitis, a thorough diagnosis and early treatment can be necessary for survival. "About 40% of the patients (with alcoholic hepatitis) are dead within the first 6 months after the detection".