Alcohol-related liver disease in medical practice.

Abstract

The Czech Republic is still one of the European countries with above-average alcohol consumption. Excessive consumption has a dual effect - it affects the soul and body, leads to the development of alcohol dependence, withdrawal symptoms, psychosocial problems, significantly contributes to the damage of multiple organs. The "tolerable" dose is up to 20 g of pure alcohol per day for women and 30 g of alcohol per day for men. Regular use of higher doses leads to liver damage of varying severity. The first stage of damage is clinically insignificant steatosis, which progresses to steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis as abuse continues. The end stage is irreversible liver cirrhosis. Alcoholic hepatitis is also a serious condition. The basic therapeutic measure is absolute abstinence. The treatment of these patients is long, complicated and a multidisciplinary approach seems to be the most effective. The only treatment modality in patients with liver cirrhosis and long-term abstinence is liver transplantation.